ALBANY, NY — Harbinger Theatre’s fifth season continues with The Counter by Meghan Kennedy, directed by Patrick White. As Harbinger’s 22nd production and 21st Capital Region premiere, this also marks our ninth production at Albany Barn since we were founded in December of 2021 at the Barn with The Christians by Lucas Hnath. Performances will be held at the Albany Barn from September 17 through the 26th, Thursdays through Saturdays with a FREE preview on Wednesday, September 16th.
“I initially chose The Counter as a scene for my students to work on in class. I read the New York Times review of the Anthony Edwards/Susannah Flood production off-Broadway at The Roundabout in 2024, directed by David Cromer, and hoped it would be a good fit for my class,” White said. “It was the specificity of Kennedy’s portrayal of the characters’ lives and experiences. I offer my students a half dozen scenes to choose from and both times I’ve included The Counter, the scene partners have picked this play. From the first time they read the scene in class, the fellow students observing perked up and were engaged in the characters, the dialogue, and the situation. It didn’t let up for the eight weeks we worked on the scene, nor the next session of classes when I let the next pair of students choose the scene and play it again. I knew from everyone’s responses it was a great play for Harbinger.”
The Counter premiered Off-Broadway in 2024 and is about an unlikely friendship that develops between a lonely waitress, Katie, and a regular customer, Paul, a retired firefighter, at a small town diner in upstate New York. Their casual morning conversations and unlikely friendship evolves into a deep, life-affirming bond from which they both derive sustenance. They share secrets, culminating in a shocking request from Paul that forces them both to confront their grief and find hope through human connection. The Counter is known for its intimate, moving, and provocative exploration of loneliness and connection. It explores the quiet courage it takes to open one’s heart.
“A crusty hermit of a man—wanders into a rundown coffee shop, sits at his habitual counter-stool, and downs his daily cup of caffeine while indulging in typical badinage with a not-especially interesting, not-especially interested, generic-type waitress….Or so we are led to think in the opening scenes,” Steven Suskin from New York Stage Review said. “Kennedy deals in secrets and grief and escape, in running away and starting again, and most crucially in standing in front of a suddenly opened door: You either stay inside, crushed by your habitual fear and unhappiness, or bravely walk through.”
In our cast we have: George Filieau as “Paul,” Lisa Bryk as “Katie,” and Joyce Reynolds as “Peg.” The play is stage managed by Regina Baker, lighting design by Stephen Wilson, sound design by Shaya Reyes, set decoration by Maghen Ryan-Adair and produced by Amy Hausknecht.
To go along with the theme of the show, we will have a Counter Coffee Klatsch Reception on Saturday September 13th at 6:30 p.m., before the show. Shows will be held on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. from September 17th to the 26th. Talkback Fridays will be held on 9/18 and 9/25, after the show. September 18th will be hosted by Giuliana Bruno, reporter and anchor from News 10 ABC and September 25th will be hosted by Rosemary Armao, journalist, podcaster, radio commentator, and UAlbany professor.
“I think we tend to isolate when we’re grieving. It’s hard to connect. I’ve always been fascinated by what it is to really be seen by someone else and how complicated it is to know someone. Especially at this moment, where Zoom meetings and screens rule our lives. Face-to-face communication sometimes feels like an endangered species. This play is about what happens when you actually let someone in. Because ultimately, we really do need each other.” –Meghan Kennedy
Do you wish you could pre-pay for all Harbinger Theatre shows for the whole year? The company offers a Flex Subscription, which means this is your opportunity to get four tickets for $50! The Flex Subscription can be used interchangeably, as you have the choice to use them all for a party to experience a single show or indulge in four plays you’ve never witnessed before!
$50 Flex Subscriptions are available by emailing cofounder@harbingertheatre.com or making a Venmo payment to @HarbingerTheatre.
The Albany Barn is located at 56 Second St, Albany, NY 12210. Tickets can be purchased on Harbinger’s website here, tickets are $15.
The Counter
By Meghan Kennedy
Albany Barn
56 2nd St
9/17-9/26
Thu-Sat @ 7:30pm
9/16 FREE Preview
9/17 Opening Night
9/18 Talkback with Giuliana Bruno
9/19 Counter Coffee Klatsch Preshow at 6:30pm
9/24 Thursday Show
9/25 Talkback with Rosemary Armao
9/26 Closing Show
All Tickets $15!
Photos by Andrew Elder for Best Frame Forward
For more information, contact Harbinger co-founder Patrick White at
white.patrick1963@gmail.com or 518-779-2803