*”Table 17,” now onstage at The Geffen Playhouse, is a vibrant, emotionally charged, and beautifully calibrated new work that captures the gloriously messy terrain of love, loss, and unfinished business.
Playwrights Douglas Lyons and Zhailon Levingston craft a story with remarkable nuance, one that treats the delicacies of human connection with honesty, humor, and heart.
Under Levingston’s sharp, intuitive direction, the production becomes a living conversation, one that invites and at times almost demands audience participation.
The result is a theatrical experience that feels immediate, personal, and deeply alive.
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At the center of this electric production are Gail Bean as Jada and Biko Eisen-Martin as Dallas, two performers whose chemistry is as magnetic as it is volatile. Their characters, who were once engaged, now meet for dinner at the infamous Table 17. They arrive carrying years of unresolved feelings.
What follows is a layered unraveling, a reckoning with rage, romance, passion, regret, and the confusion that inevitably accompanies relationships that end before the love does. Bean’s performance is fierce and vulnerable, alternating between biting humor and raw emotional exposure. Eisen-Martin is a perfect match with a grounded, charismatic portrayal of a man wrestling with who he was and who he still wants to be. Together, they make the stage crackle.
But if there is a breakout force in this production, it is Michael Rishawn, who absolutely steals the show in a tour-de-force performance playing multiple characters. Rishawn serves as both the anchor and the spark of the evening, seamlessly shifting roles, providing comic relief, and giving the audience a lens through which to view the couple’s unfolding journey. His timing is impeccable. His versatility is astonishing. Every entrance lands with purpose, every line delivers a new shade of meaning.
The superb production team elevates the narrative with polish and precision. Scenic Designer Jason Sherwood creates an environment that feels both intimate and cinematic, allowing Table 17 itself to become almost a character. Costume Designer Devario D. Simmons sharpens character distinction with choices that are contemporary, expressive, and subtly symbolic. Lighting Designer Ben Stanton shapes emotional beats with elegance, bathing the performers in warmth, tension, or shadow at exactly the right moments. Sound Designer Christopher Darbassie layers the world with texture and rhythm, amplifying moments of conflict and connection. Hair & Wig Designer Nikiya Mathis adds authenticity and attitude through impeccable detail. Composer Tre Matthews provides the musical heartbeat of the show, giving the production a sonic atmosphere as dynamic as its characters.
Produced in association with Mark Cortale, Table 17 emerges as both a gripping night of theater and a resonant portrait of modern love. It is bold, funny, heartbreaking, and, above all, human. With its stellar performances, expert direction, and finely crafted design, this production is not only a must-see—it’s a conversation starter.
Catch Table 17 now at The Geffen Playhouse, which runs through December 7, 2025. It’s a theatrical experience you won’t soon forget.
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