Stage Review - Golden (ACT Contemporary Theatre)

Stage Review - Golden
Presented By: ACT Contemporary Theatre - Seattle , WA
Show Run: April 26 - May 11, 2025
Date Reviewed: Wednesday, May 07, 2025
Run Time: 1 Hour, 45 Minutes (no intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

We hear so much from our community, civic, and national leaders about the “American Dream”, that ideal, unique to this country, which says that we can achieve anything we set our minds to, regardless of the level of affluence we’re born into, our race, gender, or our heritage. And if we get knocked down, all we need to do is pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and set off again, chasing that dream that is equally afforded to all of us. How wonderful is that? Well, it doesn’t take a political or economic scholar to understand that not everyone has equal access to the same dream, many, as a result of their heritage, their race, or just their particular circumstances, aren’t even able to get to the starting line while other seem to get a head start ahead of everyone else. And even then, many are “one crisis away from a cardboard box”, meaning that even in the best of economic times, losing a job, or going through a protracted or sudden, but expensive, medical setback, can cascade into not being able to afford a car payment, or rent, and before there’s time to recover, if there is time to recover, whoever is experiencing that crisis finds themselves homeless, out on the street, either begging for food or depending on the government, which seems only to provide just enough to sustain that person in the system, not even allowing them to bend over to tug on those proverbial bootstraps. And while all of that sounds like a largely negative perspective on what has been sold to us as the American Dream, there’s also hope, hope in the energy of new generations who fight against the systemic barriers that have been put in place to gain footing, as precarious as it is, in order to move forward, one step at a time. It’s this perspective of the American Dream, and the mix of pain and hope that it carries for many, that playwright Andrew Lee Creech has so expertly captured in his new play Golden, currently making its world premiere at ACT Contemporary Theatre, on stage through May 11. The story of Morris Golden, owner of the Golden Coin Wash-n-Dry laundromat, his ex-wife, and clientele, set in Maryland during the Great Recession (2007-2009), deals with all of this, how those who are not fortunate enough to have a safety net are caught out when the bottom of the nation’s economy drops out, how they suffer and struggle to carry on, and keep hope alive despite what’s befallen them, and how, regardless of their personal circumstances, they can still find it in their hearts to put others before them. It’s a deeply human story that feels relevant, a lesson and a harbinger of things to come if we’re not open to seeing it.

There’s so much I like about how this is presented, it feels comfortable in its production, though not necessarily in its subject matter. In watching the first, say twenty to thirty minutes, the way it is staged is as if those in ACT’s Falls Theatre are the live studio audience of a sitcom. Parmida Ziaei’s set, the interior of the Golden Coin, is just about perfect. Anyone who has spent any time in a laundromat will recognize each component in the set, she’s got everything here, it’s just scaled back for size, washers, dryers, folding table, laundry carts, benches for seating, a change machine, and the cashwrap where customers can drop off and pick up their laundry orders. In front of this interior, downstage, sits a bench and a sign, the bus stop that sits outside of the Golden Coin, and above the set is a neon sign that presents the name of the business, creatively used as part of the storytelling, letters disappearing as Morris’ story unfolds, or single words illuminated for emphasis. Behind that are the silhouettes of power lines, back lit by the horizon, which is just a fraction of the beautiful lighting work that Robert J. Aguilar has designed for this show. Creatively, the show is solid, director Tyrone Phillips has created an exquisite backdrop on which to present this powerful play, and as the story progresses, or as Morris remembers his past, the true beauty of Robert’s lighting and Erin Bedarz’s sound designs come to the fore to make what is already an emotional piece spectacular.

I mentioned the way the play feels like watching a sitcom, and it does have that tone to it, at least at the beginning. From the show’s prologue, in which Elena Flory-Barnes’ Jazmine Harris and her daughter Zora, played by Mesgana Alemshowa come knocking on the laundromat door after hours to find it closed, save for one person folding laundry inside, to the way Andrew uses humor to build out his character development, the entire first act feels extremely light, and in building it this way he allows the audience to invest in the characters in a way that’s positive. Besides Jazmine and Zora, there’s Earl, played by the extremely versatile Arlando Smith, a painter by trade who is a regular at the laundromat and quick to anger about Morris’ rising prices, Quikk (Kaughlin Caver), the resident “hustler”, constantly trying to work a deal, whether it’s a like-new Kindle, or a TV at a good price, though he’d rather be referred to as an entrepreneur, and Tracy Michelle Hughes’ Rheeda Golden, Morris’ separated from wife, cashier at the grocery next door, and frequent visitor to her husband’s business, mostly to complain that he keeps sending people to her to make change, since his machine doesn’t work. Finally, of course, there is Morris himself, played by Ty Willis, still clearly in love with Rheeda, though what happened between them the audience has to wait to find out, and also clearly in financial trouble with his home and the business. Most of the dialogue in this first part of the show involves each of the characters teasing each other, and the audience getting to know them through that (mostly jovial) banter.

It isn’t long, though, until Golden turns, and once the audience understands who they’re watching on stage, there’s plenty more exposition, around the setting and the people. It’s the Great Recession, which began around 2007, and came about as a result of vulnerabilities in the American financial system and the collapse of the housing bubble. What Andrew illustrates through his characters is how the impact of something like this is never felt in a vacuum. Take Earl for instance. When housing starts dried up, there was no new work for him, so he looked for jobs on his own, of which he found none. Over time, after his job was gone, then so was his car, then so was his home. With no way to pay for any of it, and no safety net, this was his “one crisis away from a cardboard box”, and he ended up at the Salvation Army, pride in hand, in what was the hardest time in his life. Arlando articulates this story to Morris, his serious tone a contrast to the humor in the earlier parts of his delivery, as a way to be a voice of realism while Morris, with all the hope he can muster, tries to convince anyone who will listen that there’s no way they will take his house from him. Morris, meanwhile, is an ex-boxer, and a good one at that, who had to put his career on the shelf following an injury, and who derives his hope from that dreaded broken change machine that once showed him a life of possibility through a vision, something he’s been trying to recreate since, but to no avail. Ty plays Morris with so much hope, and to watch him get pushed back time and again is heartbreaking, and in this performance he displays it so well, this slow walk to hopelessness, which is buoyed only at the thought of the chance of getting back together with Rheeda or at the contagious positivity that Kaughlin exudes as Quikk. Sure, Quikk is a hustler, but in the end he’s looking for a way to make his life, and everyone’s life around him, better. All of his “rackets” are enterprises to see if they can be a means to that end, and while he’s kept his hands clean, generally, he still is a victim of a system that denigrates people that look like him and act like him. I like how Kaughln plays this character, who is more complex than he initially seems, he has a good heart, and he’s representative in this play of the next generation that we need to look to, who will break through the barriers of repression through sheer will to get us all to another level. There’s a scene, a monologue, a story about Quikk visiting the Statue of Liberty and being turned away at the entrance to the crown that is so poignant and so heartfelt, it’s a hard truth that is delivered by someone with an ability to drive the lesson home in character that is one of the highlights of Golden.

Many of the truly emotional moments come in conversations, or should I say disputes, or altercations, or clashes, between Ty’s Morris and Tracy Michelle Hughes’ Rheeda Golden. Rheeda is the love of Morris’ life, and he’s desperate to get her back, but between a combination of perceived and actual betrayal, the trust between the two, especially Rheeda toward Morris, has eroded. Tracy’s command of this character and her backstory, her reasons for feeling betrayed, her lack of trust and her reasons for wanting desperately to move on, is particularly good, and the pure, raw emotion she brings to these tough conversation with Morris is just as good as the humor she brings, and the sense of resolve when her Rheeda makes a decision and sticks with it is rock solid. This is a standout performance, and Tracy is captivating to watch perform in this role. While there are times when Morris comes across as too much, a trait that Ty portrays extremely well, Rheeda is a brick wall of resilience, and her ability to put her struggles to the side and think of others, as she does when she and Elena’s Jazmine organize supplies to help the Haitian citizens after the 2010 earthquake that killed so many and displaced so many others, is a wonderful quality. It’s her macro world view versus Morris’ micro view that differentiates them in the end, it’s something that drives them apart and something that sends Morris even lower. There’s a lot that Morris can deal with, creditors calling on the loans or his house, his business being robbed, and his machines breaking down, but it’s Rheeta that is the pivot on which his future balances.

In the end, though, it’s Rheeda and her desire to make others’ lives better despite what that asks of her personally and against all odds, just like it is with Quikk, that gives us all hope for the future, and it is the truly beautiful part of this tragic tale that Andrew Lee Creech has assembled. After all, it was Rheeda who met Jazmine and Zora that first night, and it was she who recognized the young family needed a place to stay and Jazmine a job, which she helped her to get at the laundromat. Rheeda turns out to be the friend that Jazmine needs, even helping out when Zora becomes an easy target for her mother’s growing frustration, in a scene that is so well played by Elena Flory-Barnes. When push comes to shove, though, Jazmine is the friend Rheeda needs as well, and the two share a tender scene toward the end of the play as they discuss their futures It’s the culmination of a solid performance from Elena and shows yet another aspect of Tracy’s incredible range.

Golden, the new play from Andrew Lee Creech, interrogates our idea of the American Dream, illustrating through the lives of Morris Golden and the frequent customers at his laundromat, that despite what we’re told, that dream is not equally accessible by everyone. Furthermore, he shows how precarious the dream can be for those who don’t have the luxury of a safety net, and how hope can only carry them for so long, but also how that same hope can be reborn in the next generation, as we look to them to break through the barriers of repression that have been preventing equal access to what has heretofore been elusive for so many. This world premiere production, directed by Tyrone Phillips is the perfect vehicle for this deeply human tragedy, a tragedy imbued with hope. With a brilliant design, a solid ensemble, and a brilliant performance from Tracy Michelle Hughes, Golden has an opportunity to make some real change.

The world premiere of Golden, from playwright Andrew Lee Creech, runs on stage at ACT Contemporary Theatre through May 11. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.acttheatre.org/.

Photo credit: Rosemary Dai Ross