Biko Eisen-Martin, Michael Rishawn, and Kara Young Photo by Daniel J. Vasquez

Elevated at center stage sits the eponymous Table 17, where former fiancés Jada (Kara Young, Purlie Victorious) and Dallas (Biko Eisen-Martin) reunite over dinner. This is a tense situation to be sure, but the couple shares plenty of passion and understanding along with their meal, generating joy in heaping portions for the audience that surrounds them.

As memories come flooding back for Jada and Dallas, key moments and misunderstandings are dramatized beyond the table. Leaving their drinks in place to signify the present, where they are seated at the ongoing dinner, they reenact scenes as their former selves between the other tables and against the backdrop of a neon-framed, backlit bar (the all important scenic design is by Jason Sherwood). A massive disco ball hangs overhead, fitting for flashbacks to the couple's first encounter at a dance club, while symbolizing the sparkling expectations young lovers often have that relationships will always feel like a fun, endless party.

After two years apart, and this very extended dinner, the pair finally gains clarity on the conflicting perspectives that led to their breakup. Dallas has matured, and Jada admits the flaws she found in him stemmed from her own insecurity. But is a reunion even possible? What are they doing here? When the real reason behind their reunion dinner is revealed, the tiny plot twist feels formulaic, yet leads to an intriguingly ambiguous resolution.

Table 17's TV sitcom style rhythm and quality (with a "live studio audience"!) asserts its theatricality by brimming with direct address. The asides often feel forced, over-conceptualized, or predictably cued by specific lines. A program note from Lyons insists "When the characters ask you for advice, don't be shy, talk to 'em. This restaurant is lively and we're oh so glad you're here." On the night I attended, vocal audience members offered what might have been unexpected commentary when Dallas revealed his motive for wanting to see Jada again. Eisen-Martin held his predetermined intention in character without responding.

Table 17 is a tour-de-force for the charismatic, Tony-winning Kara Young, whose impeccable comic timing and phenomenal physicality keep the audience riveted and in the palm of her hand. Opposite Eisen-Martin's adequate efforts, Young steals every scene she is in, including one during which she is offstage. Since the plot reveals much more about Jada than Dallas, the imbalanced acting and character development both prove significant drawbacks for this promising new play. Michael Rishawn delivers a potent, polymorphous performance, his transformative acting ability on full display as he effortlessly embodies the sassy waiter River, affair partner Eric, and other distinct characters. But this fluid performer never plays a role in Dallas's world, which needs more detail and dimension.

Levingston's direction is smooth while integrating effective blocking, sound, and light cues to signal clear shifts between backstory and present day action (lighting by Ben Stanton and sound by Christopher Darbassie) along with a surprising series of clever quick changes (costume designs by Devario D. Simmons).

Though Table 17 could use a few more courses with complexity, it is certainly entertaining. In addition to a good time, the play offers spectators a casual opportunity to reflect on their past relationships. Seeing this show might just save some couples a therapy session or two.