“Lowcountry”:  There’s nothing so bad that it can’t get worse

Consider David. He’s in his thirtys, separated from his wife, living in a run-down studio apartment in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, in the area around Charleston known as the lowcountry. He was convicted of a sex crime, sentenced to house arrest, and joined an AA-like group for sex addicts. With the help of his sponsor, Paul, he’s working toward his goal of being able to have visitation rights with his young son. And he’s preparing for his first date with a woman his own age.

What could possibly go wrong?

The answer to that question is revealed in playwright Abby Rosebrock’s Lowcountry. This tragi-comedy revolves around trust issues, the part honesty plays in starting or maintaining any kind of relationship, and issues of control whether over another person or of self-control. And, in a way, it is a battle over one person’s soul.

David (Babak Tafti) is first seen making his apartment look respectable in preparation for his first date in years. He is on the phone with Paul (Keith Kupferer), his sponsor in SA, who is led by David to believe the date will be in a public place. Paul’s words are those of support mixed with veiled references to David’s past, his desire to be a father once again, favors called in to get David his apartment and current job, and possible problems with Immigration, delivered in a voice rich in false camaraderie and privileged authority.

David’s date, Tally (Jodi Balfour) arrives at his apartment. During the course of their conversation, they each tease out the other’s expectations. David finds himself intrigued by Tally revealing just how much she knows about his situation, but also finds it unsettling. Tally aggressively pursues David, while David does all he can to keep his emotional and physical distance from her. Tally, already leery of what David tells her about his relationship to Paul, tries to boost David’s self-esteem. The situation gets increasingly emotionally difficult for David, with the specter of Paul’s influence as an enforcer hovering over it.

Under the sensitive direction of Jo Bonney, the actors skillfully weave the story of Lowcountry, following the twists and turns in Rosebrock’s script. Arnulfo Maldonado’s unit set, as lit by Heather Gilbert, is a convincing representation of a run-down apartment that’s seemingly the best available for David in his situation, with a bedroom area separated from the rest of the space by a blanket suspended from the ceiling. While not cluttered with furniture, the apartment has a sort of claustrophobic atmosphere that seems to propel the action quickly to its unexpected ending.

Lowcountry embodies the meaning of the old saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.”

For all the careful planning the characters make, unexpected details lead to unforeseen yet totally believable consequences, right down to an ending that mixes impulsiveness with a faint glimmer of hope. I strongly urge you to make the trip to the Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theatre and get down to the Lowcountry.

Lowcountry is presented by the Atlantic Theater Company at the Linda Gross Theatre, 336 West 20th St., in New York, through July 13, 2025. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to atlantictheater.org.