NEW YORK—Safety and comfort can be found in everyday routines. Yet when the need to maintain consistency becomes all-consuming, changing it may take drastic measures. Meghan Kennedy’s ordinary but ultimately riveting drama “The Counter,” presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre, tells the story of two people who face such a choice.
For the past two years, Katie (Susannah Flood) has been working as a waitress at a diner in a small town in the wilds of far Upstate New York. For just about as long, her first customer every morning is Paul (Anthony Edwards), a much respected, former local firefighter who comes in for a cup of coffee. He sits down at the counter and talks about the lack of sleep from the night before. In response, Katie gently offers suggestions, such as therapy or yoga, while noting how averaging four hours of sleep per night isn’t healthy.
On one particular day, Paul, who’s come to think of Katie as something like a friend, asks her to do something for him—a request which shocks her to the core.
As she attempts to process what he has asked, Paul adds a caveat: He’ll give Katie the means to carry out his wish, but she must do it at a time completely unknown to him. Paul is so desperately tired of the sameness that surrounds literally everything he does, he wants to experience at least one more surprise in his life.
Paul’s only other connection is Peg (Amy Warren), the local doctor and his childhood sweetheart. But because of their past history, it’s something he can’t ask of her.
As the days go by, and Katie tries to make sense of Paul’s request, the relationship between the two deepens as they go from customer and server to two people who care about one another. It turns out that Paul’s life is far different from what Katie first envisioned. He’s seriously burnt out not only from all the years on the job, but also by the feeling that despite all he has done and all those he has helped, he has never made a lasting difference to anyone.
Katie is insistent that everyone’s life has the potential for surprises, depending on the actions we decide to take. Her point proves to be somewhat ironic when she reveals some of her own secrets to Paul—why she came to town in the first place and how starting a new life can be a way of hiding from the past. For Katie, her past has to do with 27 voicemails that she refuses to listen to. Now she’s embracing routine, something Paul despises.
The Production
Kennedy’s text has some weak moments, particularly early on where the audience feels the boredom of Paul’s daily appearances, although this is necessary to pull the play back to its core point about routine.Once these characters become familiar to the audience, it’s impossible not to connect with what they’re feeling: being alone and trapped in a life of going through the motions. Director David Cromer displays a sure hand as he navigates this premise.
Edwards is excellent as Paul, a man completely broken apart by life yet who doesn’t want to be seen as an object of pity. His transformation from someone seemingly jovial to someone sorrowful and, finally, outright angry is nothing less than shattering. What happened is that Paul took care of his family members but when it got too much for him to handle, they were placed in a care facility that was not the best but all he could afford.
Flood is quite good as Katie, a much more reactive character than Paul is. She wants nothing at all to do with commitment—until that no longer is an option. This realization is apparent when she finds herself frantic with worry when Paul doesn’t show up one morning. The scene shows what can happen when one’s regular routine suddenly shifts.
Warren is very effective in the small but pivotal role of Peg, who clearly has some regrets of her own when it comes to Paul. Their connection is apparent through verbal and nonverbal conversations and situations.
“The Counter” is a strong reminder of how routine can be both a safety net and a suffocating cage, and that true change can be made by taking the time to really listen to others.
