My Take: Off-Broadway's "The Counter," directed by David Cromer

The show: “The Counter” by Meghan Kennedy at off-Broadway’s at the Laura Pels Theater in New York City.

What makes it special?: I’d run to see whatever David Cromer directs. It also features Anthony Edwards (TV’s “E.R.”) and Susannah Flood (who is terrific is the streaming series “Life and Beth” starring Amy Schumer. BTW: It’s one of my favorite shows of the past two seasons.)

But back to this play: Oh, yeah. “The Counter.”

Kinda a generic name, no?: No. It’s actually quite perfect, being set in a diner (and whose counter is intriguingly angled perpendicular to the audience, providing a great divide between the two main characters. The set by Walt Spangler is so naturalistic you feel you could order a crueller and a cup of Joe , too. Stacey Derosier’s lighting, Christopher Darbassie’s sound design and Sarah Laux’s costumes also add to the feeling of outposts and drifters, just before dawn, lost in limbo. But the title also refers to something else , too.

Which is…?: A counter argument, so to speak, with each side trying to convince the other to do something life changing.

Oh, a philosophical debate (yawn): Not at all, mainly because of the two — and then three — compelling characters — and actors and directing, too — involved. Also the dramatic nature of what’s at stake.

Which is?: I don’t want to spoil things though it becomes very clear after about 15 minutes or so into the play.

So what’s it about?: A man walks into a diner nearly every day just as it opens in the very early hours of the morning for his wake-up coffee. He’s pretty much the only one there at that hour, a real regular. Of course there’s idle chitchat with Katie the waitress (Flood) as she does her set-up chores as this grizzled older man Paul (Edwards), a retired firefighter, looks on. The banality of it all is a setup because after a while Paul says he wants something more in ways of the conversation. Perhaps a kind of friendship? Or at least talk that is more personal, maybe even meaningful. And real. “Tough talk,” as Paul says. Secrets shared. Point and counter point.

Though it’s not on the menu, Katie cautiously allows it — hey, it’s dawn and no one else is there — and they reveal more about their backgrounds. She fled the big city and a boyfriend to return home to her small undemanding upstate burgh. as well as the psychological safety of mind-numbing routines. His back story is even more fraught. Alcoholism, for one, which is no surprise. It’s clear that both are dazed, confused — and lost.

Sounds like a Terrence McNally play, or maybe one by Lanford Wilson: Well, that sense of love and lives in a fog of melancholy and regret does make one think of those plays — at first. But then the small talk becomes big. Very big.

Which is?: No spoilers, like I said. But some might find the plot turn simply a melodramatic twist or a playwright’s narrative trick to up the ante. But it still propels the plot. Plus the acting (including Amy Warren as a woman in town Paul knows all too well), the subtle direction and the arguments surrounding the proposal had me interested at all times. Edwards is the best I’ve seen him on stage. Flood is a marvel without the slightest hint of artifice. You could easily imagine her at a diner near you. Warren is heartbreakingly good.

The tension builds to a conclusion that some will find satisfying, others not so. The dramatic devices in the narrative are a bit clunky but you’re always be engaged in the naturalism, the characters and the storyline. And how things turn out.

Who will like it?: Fans of Cromer, Edwards and diners.

Who won’t?: Those who want a more substantial meal.

For the kids?: Though hardly naughty, it’s an adult drama.

Thoughts on leaving the parking lot: I’m sure this three-actor play will be a staple at regional theaters and actors will be tapping into the characters’ soliloquies at auditions. The mood of the play and the production lingers, too.

Info: The play continues through Nov. 17. No intermission. Running time is approximately one hour and 15 minutes.

If I had a five star system: This would be a 3 1/2.