A fully drawn portrait of a woman relegated to staffing the guest book table at the wedding of her no longer 'close-as-sisters' cousin. In two gorgeous pages colored with the dulcet tones of the South - & its beneath-the-surface slicing & dicing (a feared and admired art form of those southern women)- we see the hurt, jealousy &loneliness of Merelynne Hopkins. Lawing's writing is glorious and funny. Merelynne would be mortified & devastated that her ache is carefully revealed because according to her, her cousin got all uppity when she up & broadened her world- leaving Merelynne behind.
Gorgeous.

A well-drawn piece full of life, character, and charm. Merelynne draws us right in so we wish we were sitting at one of the god awful tables, too, for the chance to experience her a little longer.

Lawing's protagonist Merelynne unsuccessfully creates a façade in "God Awful Table." Lawing provides everything the audience, actor, and director need to know how Merelynne feels and why.

Addendum: I watched a reading of "God Awful Table" on Facebook by Back Porch Theater on Jan. 22, 2021. The actor beautifully showed Merelynne's nuances -- pride, sadness, passive-aggression, and feelings of hurt -- during the performance. A true 3-dimensional performance of 3-dimensional character.