Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 6, 2026

Table 17

Table 17 is a comedic stage play by American playwright Douglas Lyons about two exes reuniting on a dinner date to hash out their past. The play premiered in 2024 Off-Broadway at MCC Theatre, and made its West Coast debut in 2025 in Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse.

Last revised
Aug 6, 2026
Read time
≈ 4 min
Length
873 w
Citations
22
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Table 17
2024 Off-Broadway production poster
Original languageEnglish
Written byDouglas Lyons
CharactersDallas
Jada
River
Eric
GenreComedy
Premiere
DateSeptember 6, 2024
PlaceMCC Theatre

Table 17 is a comedic stage play by American playwright Douglas Lyons about two exes reuniting on a dinner date to hash out their past. The play premiered in 2024 Off-Broadway at MCC Theatre,1 and made its West Coast debut in 2025 in Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse.2

Plot

The play follows a previously engaged couple, Jada and Dallas, who decide to meet up at the upscale Bianca's Restaurant after two years apart and work to hash out their romantic past and issues. The show flashes between the present-day dinner date and their time as fiancés two years prior.34

Production history

2024 Off-Broadway premiere

The play made its world premiere in 2024 Off-Broadway at MCC Theatre, directed by Zhailon Levingston and starring Biko Eisen-Martin as Dallas, Kara Young as Jada, and Michael Rishawn as River/Eric.,5 The production opened on September 6, 2024, and ran through September 29, 2024 and received generally positive reviews. The New York Times called it "alluringly designed" and "a romp," specifically praising Young's "extraordinary charm."6 New York Theatre Guide similarly lauded the production, praising "the honesty and the wittiness of the writing hook" and also singling out Young's performance as "overflowing with both fierceness and insecurity."7

The production was nominated for two Outer Critics Circle Awards, winning for Rishawn,8 a Drama Desk Award for Rishawn910 and four Lucille Lortel Awards, winning for both Young and Rishawn.11

2025 Los Angeles production

The play then made its West Coast premiere in 2025 at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, California, again directed by Levingston.12 Eiko-Martin and Rishawn both reprised their roles, with Gail Bean replacing Young as Jada. The production ran from November 5 to December 11, 2025.13 The LA Sentintel positively reviews the production as "a meditation on forgiveness, communication, and what remains after love has evolved",14 and Stage and Cinema lauded it as "briskly staged" and praised the actors' chemistry.15

Cast and characters

Character Off-Broadway 202416 Los Angeles 202517
Dallas Biko Eisen-Martin
Jada Kara Young Gail Bean
River, Eric & Others Michael Rishawn

Awards and nominations

2024 Off-Broadway production

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2025 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play Michael Rishawn Nominated 1819
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play Nominated 20
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play Michael Rishawn Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Kara Young Nominated 21
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Director Zhailon Levingston Nominated 22
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play Kara Young Won
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Play Michael Rishawn Won
Outstanding Lighting Design Ben Stanton Nominated
References

References

  1. "Table 17". MCC Theater. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Table 17". Geffen Playhouse. Los Angeles. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. Stewart, Zachary (September 6, 2024). "Off-Broadway Review: Table 17 Presents the Anatomy of a Breakup". TheaterMania. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Table 17". MCC Theater. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. "Table 17". MCC Theater. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Green, Jesse (September 6, 2024). "Review: In 'Table 17,' a Former Couple Chews Over What Went Wrong". The New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Fimmano, Austin (September 6, 2024). "'Table 17' review — a nostalgic rom-com for modern audiences". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 12, 2025). "Maybe Happy Ending Leads 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  9. "2025 Awards – Nominees and Recipients". Drama Desk. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  10. Logan Culwell-Block (June 1, 2025). "Drama Desk Award Winners 2025: The Full List". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  11. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 4, 2025). "Our Class Leads 2025 Lucille Lortel Award Wins; Read the Complete List Here". Playbill. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  12. "Rehearsals Begin for West Coast Premiere of the MCC Theater Production of 'Table 17'". Geffen Playhouse (Press release). October 14, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. "Table 17". Geffen Playhouse. Los Angeles. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. "'Table 17' at the Geffen Playhouse Explores Black Love, Forgiveness, and Second Chances". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. Stevens, Steven (November 18, 2025). "Los Angeles Theater Review: 'Table 17' (Geffen Playhouse in Westwood)". Stage and Cinema. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. "Table 17". MCC Theater. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. "Table 17". Geffen Playhouse. Los Angeles. Retrieved June 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. "2025 Awards – Nominees and Recipients". Drama Desk. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  19. Logan Culwell-Block (June 1, 2025). "Drama Desk Award Winners 2025: The Full List". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  20. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 12, 2025). "Maybe Happy Ending Leads 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  21. "Photos: 2025 Drama League Awards (Winners, Nicole Scherzinger, Sam Pinkleton & More)". Playbill. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  22. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 4, 2025). "Our Class Leads 2025 Lucille Lortel Award Wins; Read the Complete List Here". Playbill. Retrieved September 17, 2025.