Table 17 – August 31, 2024

Table 17 took an incredibly polished approach to telling a story about unpolished people. The aesthetic was clean and modern and perfect. Everything from the light up tables to the surprisingly transformable set was sleek and smooth, effortlessly flowing from one scene to the next. I was very impressed with multiple–character-playing , Michael Rishawn, who frequently and flawlessly set the tone for where upcoming scenes would take place, and communicated where we were in the chronology relative to the previous seat. Rishawn, Biko Eisen-Martin (Dallas), and Kara Young (Jada), totally committed to character choices that not only made each character, realistic and believable, but also clearly defined their relationships with themselves and each other.

Table 17 is largely character driven, and exceptionally well written and constructed. The responses to moments in which playwright Douglas Lyons left space for audience involvement had carefully scripted responses to keep the story moving, even if someone wanted to use these feedback moments to heckle. I commend all three actors on not breaking character in these moments.

Thematically, Table 17 felt more about the way in which people stay the same than any kind of personal growth. It was more about Jada and Dallas wanting to be each other’s hot messes, not about how time and growth brought them back together as better people. The waiter (Jishawn) acknowledges this toward the end when he says that we don’t know if this was a beautiful happily ever after where Dallas drops his commitment with Alicea to be with Jada or if Jada becomes secret side dish to Alicia’s main entree, or if Dallas and Jada never see each other again. This comment and this twist on the ending reflected deeper idea that love is profoundly uncertain, and that things that feel sweet and real in the moment might make a permanent impression whether or not those things remain a lasting part of the relationship.

Table 17 made me think a lot about getting a second chance at a first impression. When you know you’re in a moment of being in the spotlight, and having to say the right thing, sometimes do you focus more on securing your end goal, and don’t realize that someone is basing their end goal on what you’re actually saying in the moment – to you, it might be a metaphor or hyperbole to keep someone interested, while to them it might be very literal and real.

The cheating and the feelings of abandonment were on both sides, at about equal levels of egregiousness, but it seemed that the general audience impression of Dallas was worse. I wondered at the (gendered?) double standard. For me, it was difficult to dislike either character. They were personable, fragile, strong, and read to me as very realistic and human. I loved their brokenness and their openness and their honesty – and their imperfect love. It was a refreshing and beautiful cocktail, and an absolute treat for its audience to enjoy. Are there available tickets left? Check please!

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.