Table 17, a 90-minute interactive romantic comedy, has arrived at the Kiln Theatre in Kilburn, following rave reviews off Broadway. The play, written by Douglas Lyon, stars two Olivier award-winning actors and blends the feel of When Harry Met Sally with pantomime, creating a communal theatrical experience.
Interactive format and filmic quality
The interval-free action features short scenes, flashbacks, quick-fire dialogue, and asides to the camera, giving the production a filmic quality. From the start, a tannoy announcement grants the audience permission to interact with the couple at the center of the story, Jayda and Dallas, as they prepare to meet for the first time since their split two years prior.
Marisha Wallace, a West End star, plays Jayda, a sassy air hostess masking a confidence problem. Jamael Westman, known as London's original Alexander Hamilton, plays Dallas, a sweetly romantic mechanic turned music producer. Michael Rishawn plays all other roles, often stealing scenes as he morphs from a waspish but lonely gay waiter to a predatory butch barman, and as Jayda's manipulative co-worker turned lover.
Universal themes and clever staging
The action at Table 17 is interspersed with flashbacks that take the audience from the meet-cute to a blissful shared life, to cracks appearing years later, and the eventual breakup. As Jayda and Dallas draw the audience in through their monologues and missteps, the whole room shouts warnings or voices disapproval. While the specifics are firmly rooted in the U.S., the story of how aspiration, vulnerability, trust, and human frailty can obstruct love is universal.
Amy Jane Cook's set centers on the titular restaurant banquette, which revolves to become a bar, an airplane serving station, and a kitchen table. Zhailon Levingston's direction and pacing are spot on. The material is not the deepest, but it is upliftingly funny, and it will have audiences arguing on the way home about who was more to blame and whether the couple will reunite.
Run details and availability
Table 17 runs at the Kiln Theatre, Kilburn, until October 24. The production offers a lively, laugh-out-loud experience that serves as a strong advertisement for live theatre.
