The Counter

By Joseph Cervelli

Meghan Kennedy's new play "The Counter" at The Roundabout at Laura Pels Theatre starts off on a slow path and then ends unsuccessfully about a server Katie (Susannah Flood) at a coffee shop in upstate New York and a patron Paul (Anthony Edwards)who is the first early morning customer arriving for a coffee six days a week. He has been coming there for two years the amount of time that Katie has been employed. I have to say that coffee might be the only thing I would order in Walt Spangler's minuscule and dingy looking coffee shop.

In the early part of the play, Paul has a bombshell request for Katie which really doesn't go anywhere and then for the rest of the 75 minute show the dialogue becomes mostly mundane. Strangely, Paul and Katie know each other for so long, and yet I never felt any kind of camaraderie between them. Granted there is no love interest on either part, but it does feel like they should know some things after spending time alone for two years just about every day until other patrons came into the diner. If there were other customers I would understand a lack of communication, but Paul is especially talkative so it would make sense if they would have some small talk.  Katie comes out with a rather unfeeling remark to Paul about his being there is just "until" the next person arrives meaning he is not really a special patron but then expresses her concern when he misses a day due to his having a cold..  Before he asks her to do something for him he wants to know if they can be friends within the diner but not really outside of it.  He reveals his secret about being a recovering alcoholic for 11 years (he is retired) and then his having an affair with the town doctor Peg (Amy Warren) while her husband was battling cancer. 

Katie divulges a rather unusual secret being she has 27 emails she has not deleted from her phone from her ex-boyfriend for the past two years. While we never see the boyfriend but hear his voice  (Will Brill)  from his emails it seems rather disconcerting.  They were dating for a while but nothing much seemed to have occurred between them because he wanted to put her "on a pedestal" and treat her as almost untouchable. Instead of just ending the relationship she moves away to the current location. That seems a bit far fetched unless he made threats to her. And why not just break it off and contact the authorities if he starts to harass her.  What makes even less sense is whys kept those emails unless she has some strong feelings for him. 

Peg visits the diner and there is a brief encounter between her and Paul. She reveals some information to Katie about Paul (he saved a family in a fire, took care of his ailing mother and brother and joined the Peace Corps). 

I wish Kennedy would have explored this further in conversation between both of them. 

One interesting thing that David Cromer has done as director is have the light change color and spotlight (lighting design by Stacy Derosier)  the characters when are having an internal monologue or when Peg and Paul have one brief intimate moment. 

The performances are good though not memorable. 

What is extremely disappointing is the ending of the play. It has an unfinished feel to it. Almost like Kennedy did not know what more to say about her characters . What makes little sense is what Katie decides to do in a blink of the eye even though Paul gives his go ahead which I did not believe for a moment. And the bombshell request I briefly mentioned just fizzles out. Has Paul reconsidered? There’s really nothing to convey keeping  his decision or changing it. 

Somewhere there is a honest and moving play here but as presented left me feeling completely unfulfilled. 

PHOTOS: Joan Marcus

Tickets are available at the Laura Pels Theatre 111 West 46th Street.