Cafe Society, A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company, at the Cornservatory, and US, Open Cage Ensemble, at the Cornservatory. If a woman’s too nice, she’s likely to find herself in trouble. That’s what happens in Robert Simonson’s new play when Karen (Amanda White), a program editor for New York’s Lincoln Center, hesitantly agrees to be friends with Lucy, a puppyish 15-year-old who works the counter at her family’s gourmet coffeehouse. Lucy (Robyn Accetta) seems harmless, but it turns out she’s as determined as a pitbull. She invites Karen to a party along with other cafe regulars, who come because they’re afraid of being denied Lucy’s heavenly coffee if they refuse. In attendance are the “dark intellectual” Nathan (William Mayer); Lucy’s cousin Roald (Michael Buino), a children’s author with a fatwa on his head; and the Secret Service agent assigned to him (Danny Dolan). Simonson has a screwball spirit, and his deft writing is deliciously funny even when the cast is not. Accetta, however, shows great comic timing–her sly performance is riveting. And Tina Haglund as Karen’s friend cracks jokes with a wink and a pleasing tough-girl attitude.
