The Counter by Meghan Kennedy
TheatreWorks Hartford
By: Karen Isaacs - Mar 03, 2026
When you walk out of the theater wishing there was one more scene or wanting to know what happened to the characters, you know you have seen both a successful production and a successful play.
When the stage went black at the end of The Counter now at TheaterWorks Hartford, now extended through Sunday, March 22, I was hoping there was another scene. If not, I wanted to know what happened to the two main characters. Could there be a sequel?
Playwright Meghan Kennedy has created such believable characters, and they have been brought to life so expertly by Justis Bolding and Tim DeKay under the direction of artistic director Rob Ruggiero, you want to know more of their stories.
The counter refers to the counter in a small-town diner in New York State. Two years ago, Katie (Justis Bolding) arrived from NYC. Since then, every morning Paul (Tim DeKay) has been the first customer of the day. Over the years, they’ve developed a bantering relationship. You might think it would evolve into a romance, but playwright Kennedy is too smart to go with the obvious, these are two people seeking a friendship, a connection.
The relationship moves forward when Paul wants them to be friends by sharing a secret. He goes first, and his secret (he’s a recovering alcoholic), is ordinary. But Katie has difficulty opening up enough to even think of a secret to share. She finally tells him she has 27 voicemails – all from the same man – saved on her phone.
These are two people, who like most of us, are bruised, scarred, and scared. “Life happened” and it left its mark.
Katie says she is living her escape fantasy and feels good. BUT she cannot listen to or erase these voicemails which have accumulated over the two years. Will Paul listen to them with her, perhaps give a male perspective, and help her push the erase button?
Paul has two more secrets to share – one involves a high school crush and an affair – the other is a request for Katie to help him with something. I won’t reveal what it is, but Katie is totally taken aback and is unsure how to react.
When you enter the theater, you will be stunned by Tijana Bjelajac’s set design. It could be any small-town dinner counter that hasn’t been updated in years. Add to that the effective lighting by Matthew Richards, sound design by Minjae Kim, and the simple but perfect costumes, and you are totally immersed.
DeKay’s Paul seems like an average Joe; but as he and Katie talk, DeKay brings out the hidden qualities of him. He’s caring, kind, disillusioned, modest, and denigrates his accomplishments. When Katie asks the third character says if Paul is happy, the character says “But he’s never been ‘happy.’ It’s not really in his wheelhouse.”
Boldin’s Katie protects herself so fiercely that running away and then justifying it seems perfectly normal. The moat she created around herself is stifling her.
As the third character, Peg, Erika Rolfsrud is excellent. Peg’s role is to provide some background information about Paul. Kennedy and Rolfsrud do this without being obvious.
Kennedy has written some almost poetic lines. She displays a deep understanding of how bruised people persuade themselves of their own reality. The issues she brings up about love, death, caring and more are done subtlety and in character. No preaching or hitting the audience over the head with a “moral.” She understands it would detract from the story and the characters. We can get it on our own.
I would gladly see The Counter again. I enjoyed it that much.
Tickets are available at TWHartford.org.
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