Good Company began as a troupe that put on radical, truth-to-power shows no one saw, but its play examining the complex, contradictory, and disturbing dynamic between Thomas, Sally, and the Monticello household might, with the help of an unseen producer, might finally be their chance at making it – – that is if they can make it through the rehearsal process and finally get the piece to an audience.

Much of Act 1 focuses on the set up of this troubled production of the play within the play titled The Pursuit of Happiness.  The conflict comes in trying to please the unseen and demanding producer and the various cliche schisms between various cast members.  It is only at the end of Act 1 that the play launches into the extraordinary as we explore how President Jefferson behaved far less than presidential owning hundreds of slaves of his own, bankrupting Monticello countless times, and impregnating  his slave repeatedly producing many children – – -while never offering her freedom – even on his death bed.  Imagine a President acting in such a repugnant manner and still making it to Mount Rushmore?  

It’s in Act II that Luce fights for her freedom; from selling out; from white male fragility; and from the legacy of slavery. Her spellbinding 11- o’clock monologue, which graphically describes what Jefferson did to the teenage Sally—”Reparations? Please. They owe us more than money”—elicits passionate responses from the audience. This along with designer Riccardo Hernández’s climactic set reveal serves as a vivid reminder that we can never shake off the shackles of history.  Sally and Tom certainly highlights the inadequate platforms that Black people are given to deal with the past and paint a picture for their future. Black dramatic literature still has a long way to go. It takes awhile for Sally and Tom to get there – but when it does the effect is powerful.