Can we be real friends- the kind that have tough talks and share secrets, diner customer, Paul, asks Katie, the waitress he banters with every morning at breakfast.

This setup in Meghan Kennedy’s 2004 play, The Counter, is a nice riff on the ubiquitous naturalistic trope of families/close friends gathering to reveal secrets. After all, haven’t we seen enough of those stories to last a lifetime by now?

Instead, Kennedy gives us two relative strangers, living in the same small town and connected only by circumstance, willing to offer up their deepest darkest in a kind of tit for tat.

The trade is Paul’s idea, Katie a hesitant player. Over several mornings, they reveal hidden parts of themselves, getting to know each other more deeply than either has ever experienced. They are better for it.

It’s a love letter to vulnerability, communication, the power of being seen and the importance of reaching out. Under the tender, patiently timed direction of Christy Watkins, with superlative performances by Faith Fossett (Katie) and Orlanda Arriaga (Paul), and a gorgeous diner set (Tatiana Vintu), this is a stellar production in what has already been a standout season for 4th Wall Theater.

Of course, the problem with a play about secrets is how much to reveal when talking about it. And then how to both praise and find fault with the script that will make any sense in this non-spoiler milieu.

The biggest secret we can get out in the open, as any cursory Google of the play will hand it to you easily. Paul wants to end his life and he wants Katie to poison him. Not right away, mind you. He wants it to be a surprise. A vial of plant-based poison handed to her to pour into his morning coffee whenever she wants. As long as she does it.

He has his reasons. Grief over others, mourning your own tragic life and the inability to run away from your problems are important motivations for Paul and Kaite in this show. But Paul’s is an enormous ask, one that Kennedy wants us to empathize with. Or at least to have concern for him and what he’s going through. In this production, Arriaga plays Paul so warmly and with such charisma, it’s hard not to want to mother him out of his decision. To root for him.

But think on it a little deeper and it’s hard not to feel affronted. How dare he put Katie in this position? What a thing to dump on someone. How selfish can a man be, abdicating his suicidal intentions onto another? Never mind the legal implications.

Katie, of course, refuses, then dodges, then plays along, attempting to control things. But we see her mental and physical health deteriorate as a result. Fossett’s quiet scene of worry when, one morning, Paul doesn’t come into the diner is a thing of performance perfection. We watch, awestruck, at what Fossett conveys with nothing but silence, expression and movement.

In throwing this enormous out-of-left-field grenade into her story, Kennedy at once gets our attention (a good thing), certainly establishes tension (a needed thing), but by letting Paul off the hook for his behavior, Kennedy lessens our affection for Paul in ways the play doesn’t intend.

But here’s the good news – we can mostly gloss over this agitation thanks to the good heaping of quirk Kennedy bakes into the story. This is a show that wants us to laugh and it isn’t afraid to be smart about it.

The other secrets the pair reveals, meaningful as they are, are surprising and often funny. Or at least funny under the cold diner lights. Especially funny as a no-nonsense Katie and more poetic Paul dissect the issues, often sparring as a result. We laugh with them, at them and for them.

Mercifully, we’re not subjected to any clichés in the process. This isn’t a love story in disguise. It’s far more adult than that. Especially adult is the untidy manner in which Kennedy ends her show. Is it a tragedy? A redemption? A second chance or the end of it all? 

Up to you to decide and discuss.

Whatever the fate of Katie and Paul is, Kennedy shows us the immense benefit of finding someone to share your thoughts and feelings with. Even if it’s just over a hopefully non-poisoned cup of coffee

The Counter continues through March 16 at Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring. For more information, call 832-767-4991 or visit 4thwalltheatreco.com $40-$70.

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