ongoing - Sun. Oct. 14

 Boston native David Lindsay-Abaire has done a lot of good for the local theatre scene. His play “Rabbit Hole,” which was produced at the Huntington Theatre Company in 2006, went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, five Tony Award nominations, and the Spirit of America Award. It also inspired an Academy Award-winning film. Speaking of film, Lindsay-Abaire has also been involved with such cinematic smashes as “Shrek” and “Rise of the Guardians.” So it may be acceptable that, despite its Boston roots, Lindsay-Abaire decided to launch his latest project, “Good People,” on Broadway. After all, when star like Frances McDormand and Tate Donovan agree to take top billing, you go to them!

Fortunately, after a heady time in which he received two more Tony Award nominations and the 2011 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for “Best Play of the Year,” Lindsay-Abaire has come to his senses and come back to Boston to kick of the Huntington’s 31^st season with the hometown premiere of “People.”

The show, which will run at the Huntington through Sunday  October 14, tells the story of a sharp-tongued single mother in Southie who has recently lost another job and is facing eviction and other life challenges. In order to try to support herself and her daughter, she looks up an old flame who is now a successful doctor in tony Chestnut Hill.

 As opposed to such recent depictions of this neighborhood in transition (e.g., “Good Will Hunting” or “The Departed”), “Good People” portrays South Boston as Lindsay-Abaire knew it – a hard-working community of people who either dig in or are trying to get out. For the playwright, it was a scholarship from the local Boys and Girls Club that eventually led him to his award-winning career. Many others, however, never get that chance.

Among the people who populate the play and Lindsay-Abaire’s memories is the character of Jean, played by Boston bastion Karen MacDonald. When asked how she interprets the play, MacDonald says that “Good People” is a story about “people who are a close-knit community; who take care of their own.”

While some may work hard, MacDonald and Lindsay-Abaire both realize that luck often plays a role. “The part that luck plays in our lives is a running theme in the play,” MacDonald suggests. “Maybe some people just aren't lucky, even though they're a good person.”

The situation in the play leads MacDonald to pose larger questions about luck and about how life turns out for so-called “good” people. “Why do bad things happen to good people,” she asks, echoing a profound ponderer that has puzzled people for generations. “I think we've been trying to answer that question through the ages…and our play brings it up again for consideration.”

In addition to offering honest portrayals of real people (good or not), MacDonald says that the play also offers a true picture of its source setting. “I think the play is a very authentic picture of South Boston,” she says. “The characters are real people, simply and truthfully presented. Not stereotypes, but flesh and blood.”
While the story may be set in a particular place, MacDonald goes on to suggest that its themes are universal and allow it to reach far beyond the Expressway.

“It's a portrait of a specific neighborhood in our city,” she observes, “but it's also the kind of story that people can identify with- the notion of class struggle, wherever they come from. I think that's what makes this play work, wherever it's done.”
As popular as the play may have ben (or yet be) in other cities, MacDonald of course feels a special need to maintain that authenticity at The Huntington. “We, obviously, feel a special obligation to ‘get it right’ here in Boston,” she says. “But the beauty of the play goes way beyond this setting….It seems [to be] a very American story to me.”

With its recognizable characters and universal themes, “Good People” works for people of all walks of life. “[It] is a very layered and thought provoking play,” MacDonald says. “It encourages discussion of these issues, by telling such a compelling story…and that's great theatre!”

Tix: $*5-$30.   Shows Tues-Thurs at 7:20, Sat-Sun at 8 with 2 pm matinees.

- Matt Robinson

264 Huntington Ave., 617-266-7900 www.huntingtontheatre.org