Set in the present in rural South Carolina, Lowcountry, a commissioned play written by Abby Rosebrock (a native of the Carolinas) and now making its world premiere in a limited engagement at Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theater Company, takes a deep dive into the troubled lives and psyches of two characters in their thirties meeting for a first date via an online site. Self-described as a “dark twisted rom-com,” the talky narrative, directed by Jo Bonney, renders them more unlikeable, absurd, and self-serving than comical, as their backgrounds and secrets slowly surface through extended conversations, filled with lies told, hints unintentionally dropped, and largely untenable revelations disclosed that culminate in a completely unexpected shocker of a conclusion.
The story opens with David, a divorced father and former high-school teacher, preparing dinner for his date with Tally – a failed actress living in LA but back in her home state, ostensibly to help her father move – while on the phone with his sponsor Paul, discussing everything from hoped for visitation rights and custody of his eight-year-old son, the state of housing (he lives in a modest studio apartment owned by Paul), his status as an American citizen (not an immigrant), online dating, an unexplained offense that requires Paul’s constant supervision and David’s total compliance with the conditions imposed on him, including where he can go and who can visit him when he’s home alone, and what he should tell Tally about it (facts that he didn’t share with his previous dates, who found out by Googling him).
Because of the restrictions, David falsely tells Paul that he’s in his car, driving to an approved public place to meet Tally, though he’s actually at home and expecting her there. As required, Paul intends to check in on him throughout the evening with repeated phone calls, to make sure everything goes well and he doesn’t break the rules. Not really a spoiler alert: He does.
With the arrival of the excessively loquacious, openly oversexed, and take-charge Tally – she quickly and easily repairs the falling curtain that David couldn’t, which separates the bedroom from the living room, and lowers the lights to create the right ambiance for the evening (lighting by Heather Gilbert) – the dialogue moves from his cell phone to their in-person dinner date, she becomes increasingly aggressive (with Ann James serving as intimacy coordinator) and falling-down drunk on the red wine he serves, and, as it turns out, has at least as many secrets and surprises as he does. Though he admits, among other things, that he is unable to cry and wonders if that makes him a sociopath, she doesn’t care, and continues to pursue him, despite his resistance.
Babak Tafti as David and Jodi Balfour as Tally skillfully capture the problematic nature of the characters, their distinctive demeanors (he is more reserved, sober, and vulnerable; she is a whirlwind of non-stop talking and flirtation, with a propensity for “manifesting”), the psychological stress and emotional strain they’re both experiencing, and their shared inclination for deception. We also find out they both hate South Carolina (she has forsaken her southern accent, his comes and goes) and have very different tastes in music (until a certain Bette Midler song plays on her phone and affects him deeply, which seems to be an over-the-top swipe at the dominant religious culture of the area). And Keith Kupferer as Paul convincingly assumes a heavy Southern dialect and accent (dialect coaching by Kohli Calhoun), and an overbearing sense of control in his obsessive approach to friendship and concern, with relentless dictates and overseeing of all aspects of David’s life, whether remotely by phone or in the apartment he owns.
A realistic design adds some credibility to the story. The simple apartment, with painted cinderblock walls, a string of family photos, basic furnishings, and a messy bedroom (set by Arnulfo Maldonado), the phone that keeps buzzing with calls from Paul, and the spaghetti, bread, and wine David serves to Tally (props by Samantha Shoffner) create a believable environment, with sound (by John Gromada) that clearly captures the noise of the insects outside, David’s remembered laughter of his young son, and the audible cell phone conversation with Paul on speaker. Costumes (by Sarah Laux) and hair design (by J. Jared Janas) are likewise appropriate to the characters’ good looks and sex appeal, as Tally’s high platform shoes are to the explosive conclusion (fight choreography by Thomas Schall).
Will David and Tally find the support (and sex) they need from each other? Or will their already chaotic lives and addictive personalities spiral even further out of control? Will you even care? While everyone has a different sense of humor, I found the behavior of the damaged and deleterious characters in Lowcountry to be more dark, twisted, off-putting, and disturbing than romantic or funny, many of the plot points to strain credibility, the bombshell ending to be unexpectedly horrific, and the intended comedy to escape me, despite the indisputable talent of the cast and their ardent embodiment of the roles.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, without intermission.
Lowcountry plays through Sunday, July 13, 2025, at Atlantic Theater Company, Linda Gross Theater, 336 W 20th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $25-111.50, including fees), go online, or find discount tickets at TodayTix.