Phenomenal Acting Makes Hidden Voices'
A Good Boy a Must-See Production

Yolanda Rabun stars as Yolanda in the world premiere of Hidden Voices' new musical A Good Boy (photo by HuthPhoto)

"He was a good boy" is a lament that can be heard in the wake of a tragic (and, perhaps, premature) death. "Who's a good boy?" is a question that owners often playfully ask their dog. In 1913, Robert Louis Stevenson published a poem entitled "A Good Boy."*

But what happens when circumstances land "a good boy" on "death row"? A Good Boy is the title of this new musical created by Hidden Voices and presented Aug. 20-24 by PlayMakers Repertory Company. It features a book and lyrics by Lynden Harris and music by Marc Callahan and AJ Layague; and it addresses questions in that vein. Its one-week world premiere, directed by Kathryn Hunter-Williams, is playing through Sunday in UNC-Chapel Hill's Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre.

Over the decades, I have heard proponents and opponents of the "death penalty" offer various arguments in support of their position -- some are cerebral arguments, and others are "from-the-gut." However, I have never heard anyone pose questions, such as "What about the families?" or "What kind of fallout can be expected in the community?" A Good Boy is a musical -- yes, a musical about the death penalty -- that tells true stories that beg us to open these conversations.

From the Website of Hidden Voices:

Hidden Voices is a radically inclusive, participatory, and co-creative collective grounded in compassion, restoration, and welcome.

OUR VISION & VALUES: All lives have meaning. Every story matters. Our mission is to challenge, strengthen, and connect our diverse communities through the transformative power of story.

The world premiere of A Good Boy stars Jade Arnold as Bradley (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Play:

A Good Boy establishes that a wide variety of people are affected by the correctional system that includes implementation of the death penalty. We get a glimpse into the hearts, minds, and souls of five such people.

The play is set in a waiting room, where visitors await the opportunity to visit death row inmates, and it is the day after an execution. We meet Bullock (the prison guard on duty in that area), the mothers of two inmates (Mary and Yolanda), and Bradley (the nephew of a third inmate). We also meet Heather (the sister of the inmate who had been executed the previous day); she has been summoned to the facility to claim her brother's personal effects.

Visiting hours are 2:00-4:00 p.m., and a large digital clock on the wall shows that we are approaching 2:00.

Problem #1: Because of an altercation among the inmates, the prison population is on a "lock down," and the visitors will not be allowed in until the "prisoner count" has been "cleared." The characters (as well as the audience) are painfully aware that, as the minutes tick by, their visiting time is shrinking.

Problem #2: Due to a series of SNAFUs and "Catch 22's" the box containing Heather's brother's property has been labeled "DNR" (which, in this case, signifies "do not release"; but the phrase "do not resuscitate" also comes to mind).

Problem #3: Bradley hasn't come just to visit his uncle; he also has an appointment with the warden, and the same SNAFUs and Catch 22's are impeding his progress.

A glimmer of hope: As the play nears its end, you get the feeling that the characters have experienced something akin to a support group session. All five of them, while inconvenienced by the circumstances, seem to emerge better off than they were at the start

Hazel Edmond (left) stars as Mary and Yolanda Rabun stars as Yolanda in the world premiere of A Good Boy (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Acting:

This is an excellent quintet of actors, and I have been impressed by the individual work of each on multiple occasions. As a team, they are phenomenal. It is hard to believe that they had less than three weeks to prepare.

Yolanda Rabun always creates characters that are "larger than life," this role (Yolanda) is no exception. I would describe the character as a "recovering wild child party girl." She's been sober and clean for 18 months, but she's still "full speed ahead" in her interactions with others. Yolanda's shenanigans are a source of comic relief, but her plight is every bit as serious as those of the others, and Rabun's versatility ensures that both are well covered. It's no exaggeration to say that, in the role of Yolanda, Yolanda Rabun is "a force of nature."

Hazel Edmond is also impressive as the tame, subdued (but not defeated) Mary. Edmond invests her character with a quiet dignity, but it is obvious from the start that she can have "Plan B" up her sleeve when needed.

Jeffrey Blair Cornell's Bullock is obviously just as vulnerable to the inhumanity of "the system." From the moment he appears on stage, the character's body language makes it clear that his "job satisfaction" is not high. Cornell proves to be a master of what I think of as "acting twice." That is, while Cornell is "acting" (for the benefit of the audience) to create the character of Bullock, Bullock is "acting" (for the benefit of the other characters) to preserve the persona that he feels is necessary to survive at his job.

Serena Ebhardt has positively nailed the character of Heather. The vulnerability and sense of loss are comingled with Heather's determination to "carry on." Ebhardt also shows the sorrow and sense of guilt and the struggles to maintain her character's dignity.

As Bradley, Jade Arnold shows a man who is emerging from a life riddled with confusion. Why was this uncle not a part of his life until he was older? And how did it come to pass that there are photographs of this uncle holding him as a baby?

An attorney employed by a district attorney's office, Bradley is obviously upper middle class as he mingles among the others who are more "blue collar." Arnold's Bradley is aware of any "privilege" that his position might garner for him, but is never disdainful of any of the others. Spoiler Alert: Bradley has a "secret" that makes itself obvious well before he reveals it.

The world premiere of A Good Boy stars Jeffrey Blair Cornell as Bullock and Serena Ebhardt as Heather (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Tech:

Scenic and costume designer Derrick Ivey has provided the stark, utilitarian waiting room and Bullock's office area (including a metal detector), and he has properly clothed the characters to suit their personalities.

Lighting designer David Navalinsky has supplied the cues necessary for changes as the focus of the action shifts and as the moods change. Especially effective is the red "wash" on the "inside" while Bullock walks the perimeter during a telling speech.

Michael Anthony Betts II's sound design includes authentic prison sound effects in his handiwork.

Engaging music backs up the voices, thanks to music director Andrew Wiele.

Stage management is by Rasool Jahan, assisted by Julianna Frasca. The dialect coach is Tia James, the dramaturg is Mark Perry, and Zoë Nagel serves as dramaturg intern.

The world premiere of A Good Boy stars Hazel Edmond as Mary and Jade Arnold as Bradley (photo by HuthPhoto)

Nice Touches:

• Staging the show with audience on two sides.
• Beginning the show with a Mary singing solo in a corner of the balcony and having her joined by the others in the other three corners, thereby creating a "four corners" effect.
• Blocking Bullock to enter the area that "belongs" to the visitors during a speech that reveals that he is also a victim of the system.
• The clock on the wall, showing the ticking away of the two hours.
• Songs shifting into a minor key.

Jeffrey Blair Cornell stars as Bullock and Serena Ebhardt stars as Heather in the world premiere of A Good Boy (photo by HuthPhoto)

Memorable Lines:

• "He knew the guy? And that matters why?"
• "Nobody with a real lawyer ends up here."
• "He needs to see me face-to-face."
• "You're the sister, right? ... Is the state payin' for that cremation?"
• "You can be there, but you can't cry.... You can't be there."
• "This waiting room is not where we belong."
• "He wanted to feel the grass beneath his feet."
• "The boys are real good about helpin' each other out."
• "Even when I didn't like [my children], I still loved them."
• "If he didn't do that, he did something else -- he just didn't get caught."
• "... can't deal with the enormity of it all."
• "My mother is a realtor, and my father is a sperm donor."
• "Waiting is what we do."
• "Violence is a greedy thing ...."
• "Hate will eat us up."
• "You gotta believe."

A Good Boy's creative team includes playwright/lyricist Lynden Harris (left) and director Kathryn Hunter-Williams (photo by HuthPhoto)

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

Several local theaters have "spoiled" me by displaying a slideshow of the dialogue and lyrics on a screen adjacent to the acting area. For a piece as important as A Good Boy, that "nice touch" would be quite beneficial to those of us who are "hearing challenged." As it stands, I know I always "got the gist of it"; but I could have understood better ....

The Bottom Line:

Because of the subject matter, this show is essential -- the conversations and movements that it should spark are well overdue. The audience experience -- the enlightening and personal growth -- that come with it (while depressing) are therapeutic.

Add to that the experience of meeting five interesting people and the comic relief supplied by Yolanda Rabun as Yolanda, and A Good Boy qualifies as a must-see show.

A Footnote:

Ironically, there is a poem titled "A Good Boy" in A Child's Garden of Verses: Selected Poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Reading it before and then after the play adds an extra twist to thoughts and feelings engendered by this play:

I woke before the morning, I was happy all the day,
I never said an ugly word, but smiled and stuck to play.

And now at last the sun is going down behind the wood,
And I am very happy, for I know that I've been good.

My bed is waiting cool and fresh, with linen smooth and fair,
And I must be off to sleepsin-by, and not forget my prayer.

I know that, till to-morrow I shall see the sun arise,
No ugly dream shall fright my mind, no ugly sight my eyes.

But slumber hold me tightly till I waken in the dawn,
And hear the thrushes singing in the lilacs round the lawn.

Lynden Harris, Marc Callahan, and AJ Layague's A GOOD BOY (In-Person World Premiere at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22-24), directed by Kathryn Hunter-Williams, and starring Jade Arnold as Bradley, Jeffrey Blair Cornell as Bullock, Serena Ebhardt as Heather, Hazel Edmond as Mary, and Yolanda Rabun as Yolanda. (PlayMakers Repertory Company presents a Hidden Voices creation in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre in UNC-Chapel Hill's Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art). MOBILE PLAYBILL: https://playmakersrep.org/playbill-for-a-good-boy/. DESKTOP PLAYBILL: https://online.fliphtml5.com/gtelh/gqaf/#p=1. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ppBlZSBaio&t=3s. PRESENTER: https://playmakersrep.org/, https://www.facebook.com/playmakersrep, https://www.instagram.com/playmakersrep/, https://www.tiktok.com/@playmakersrep, https://x.com/playmakersrep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayMakers_Repertory_Company, and https://www.youtube.com/@PlayMakersRepertory. 2025-26 SEASON: https://playmakersrep.org/season/2025-2026/. PRC BLOG: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/our-blog/. VENUE: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/kenan-theatre/. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://playmakersrep.org/visitor-info/directions-and-parking/. HIDDEN VOICES (a justice-based collective, based in Cedar Hill, NC): https://www.hiddenvoices.org/, https://www.facebook.com/HiddenVoices/, http://instagram.com/hiddenvoicesus, and https://vimeo.com/user9275796. A GOOD BOY (2025 musical): https://playmakersrep.org/show/a-good-boy/. LYNDEN HARRIS (Cedar Grove, NC playwright and lyricist and founder and director of Hidden Voices): https://playmakersrep.org/playbill-for-a-good-boy/#harris, https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynden-harris-b104b54/, and https://www.facebook.com/lynden.harris/. MARC CALLAHAN (Anaheim, CA composer): https://www.marccallahan.com/, https://playmakersrep.org/playbill-for-a-good-boy/#marc, and https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/marc-callahan.aspx. AJ LAYAGUE (Filipino-American composer/playwright): https://www.layague.com/ and https://playmakersrep.org/playbill-for-a-good-boy/#aj. WARNING: PlayMakers Rep cautions that this show "Contains mature themes and language. The show references drug use, animal cruelty, and child abuse in stories, but none are depicted on stage." NOTE: There will be a facilitated conversation, following every performance. Topics include: "" (Thursday), led by State Rep. Vernetta Alston, Community Engagement Specialist and Restorative Justice advocate N.C. Department of Adult Corrections Office of Victim Services director Kim Banko:, and Campbell University School of Law Restorative Justice Clinic director Jon Powell; "When Justice Heals: Alternative Approaches to Incarceration" (Friday), led by UNC-Chapel Hill professor of Political Science and death penalty and criminal legal system researcher Frank Baumgartner:, Restorative Justice Durham facilitator Ken Rose:, Durham Safety Department clinical manager Abena Bediako, and father of a murdered son, practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, and anger management and meditation teacher at at Nash Correctional Institution André Smith; "ReVisioning Justice: From History to Possibility" (Saturday), led by volunteer facilitator with Restorative Justice Durham Frank Stasio, Center for Death Penalty Litigation founder and first director and co-director of RedressNC and of its Charlotte Restorative Justice Project Henderson Hill, Campbell University School of Law Restorative Justice Clinic director Jon Powell, and N.C. Department of Public Safety Juvenile Justice Division restorative justice coordinator Monica Veno; "ReVisioning Justice: History, Humanity, and Hope" (Sunday), led by managing attorney at the Law Office of Aviance D. Brown, and adjunct law professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School Aviance Brown, UNC-Chapel Hill Department of American Studies associate professor Seth Kotch, Facility Warden II with the NC Department of Adult Corrections at Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton Robert VanGorder, and co-director of the Duke University Divinity School Prison Program and of Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke's Prison Engagement Initiative (PEI) and a Research Professor of New Testament Douglas Campbell TICKETS: $35 general admission, plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-962-7529 or prcboxoffice@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: Hidden Voices and PlayMakers Repertory Company. Melissa Rooney's Triangle Review Review Permalink.

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