Have you ever felt so much rage that you had to hold it in to the point that you thought you would literally bust?
The Goodman Theatre has brought the production BUST—written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Zora Howard and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz—to its main stage. From the first moment, I knew I was going to love this show. It grabs your attention and refuses to let go.
The play takes place in a Black community in Alabama. Retta and her husband Reggie are sitting on their upper porch, and Retta is spilling the tea to one of her friends when they see their neighbor, Mr. Woods, being pulled over and harassed by the police. Mr. Woods becomes so enraged by the encounter that something unbelievable happens. As people do in today’s world, their grandson Trent records it all on his phone.
The two police officers—one a hot-headed white officer with a known history of harassing people of color, and the other Hispanic and committed to following the rules—must now deal with the fallout and figure out how to explain what happened. From that moment, the play spirals into a gripping exploration of how rage manifests and moves through an entire community.
Even in Trent’s classroom, injustice is present. When one of his classmates is physically harassed by a teacher and a security guard, Trent once again reaches a breaking point, and something unthinkable happens again. How does this rage—so familiar to many in the Black community—shape his path?
As per usual, the Goodman has assembled a talented and experienced cast that delivers powerful performances. It features:
• Mark Bedard (The Gilded Age) as Tomlin/Jack
• Cecil Blutcher (The Game) as Trent
• Renika Williams-Blutcher (P-Valley) as Krystal
• Caroline Stefanie Clay (The Little Foxes, Doubt) as Retta
• Bernard Gilbert (The Chi, How to Catch Creation) as Zeke
• Caitlin Hargraves (A Christmas Carol, Mi Casa) as Ms. Pinto
• Jorge Luna (Zero Day) as Ramirez
• Victoria Omoregie (Fat Ham, John Proctor Is the Villain) as Paige
• Keith Randolph Smith (Malcolm X, God of Carnage, Jitney) as Mr. Woods
• Ray Anthony Thomas (American Fiction, The Harbinger, Pariah) as Reggie
• Ivan Cecil Walks (K-I-S-S-I-N-G) as Boobie
“At its core, BUST is a meditation on rage,” said playwright Zora Howard. “It asks, ‘What if Black people could use the rage that we carry, with which we are in such constant and intimate relationship, for our own constructive and collective gain?’ It is an offering—an invitation for all of us to consider how we might harness our rage, what we can move with it.”
Director Lileana Blain-Cruz said, “There’s a real invitation at the center of this play to experience something new, to be part of a radical act of imagination. In BUST, the audience has the opportunity to recognize themselves in these characters. We get to simultaneously live inside their humanity and the absurdity of what it means to be alive in the world today.”
Blain-Cruz is right. From the very first scene, the audience connects with the emotions, frustrations, and lived experiences of each and every character of color. It’s a powerful mirror—and one that doesn’t flinch.
BUST is a must-see. Yes, there is a lot of profanity, but it flows naturally and reflects the raw, urgent energy that drives the narrative forward.
BUST gets 4½ out of 5 winks of the EYE!
Until next time, keep your EYE to the sky!