Type – Dark comedy, two-hander, female friendship, 21st Century
If you liked – Fairly Odd Couple, This Wide Night, Breathe
The Roommate: A comedic tale of identity, reinvention and growing to appreciate each other in the most unexpected ways
Set in 2015 Iowa, the Roommate is a comedic drama that follows two vastly different women who find themselves living together in their middle age. In its’ Australian Premiere, Ensemble theatre presents Jen Silverman’s 2015 two-hander, performed by Lucy Bell and Belinda Bromilow and directed by Lee Lewis.
Since her recent divorce and adult son moving interstate, Sharon (Lucy Bell) advertises the spare room in her house to help make ends meet. Sheltered and unsuspecting, the conservative, empty nester leads a somewhat mundane and isolated life. She has no idea how much her life is about to change.
Enter new roommate Robyn (Belinda Bromilow). Edgy, arty, and a former slam poet from the Bronx, Robyn is a pot-growing, vegan lesbian. (Dont worry, Sharon assures her she’s okay with homosexuals!) Not keen to discuss personal matters, Robyn seeks to escape her past New York life for a fresh start, while her caginess only heightens Sharon’s inquisitive curiosity.
As their differences take a back seat and their similarities shine through, their friendship and bond grow from tentative to transformative. Both women seek reinvention and connection while mirroring what the other lacks and yearns for in themselves.
Simone Romaniuk’s set invites us into a warm, homely living room and kitchen area with light coloured wooden cupboard fronts and a decorative splashback tile. The visual style; rich in texture and colour extends to the costuming design which clearly reinforce the characters’ personalities and priorities. Matt Cox’s lighting design transforms the home from morning cups of tea to stoned, late night living room dances, seamlessly transporting us through scene and location changes.
Madeleine Picard’s sound design uses mainly percussive, drumming sounds that mirror the building tension and realisations throughout the work. The sound effects however, were a little distracting, with a particularly cartoonish door-creaking sound. As much of the design and writing has elements of soap opera and sitcom, I’m not entirely sure whether it was supposed to be ironic or not.
Bell’s Sharon is disarmingly funny, without ever falling into caricature territory, and much of the comedy comes from her listening and reactions. The biggest laughs of the night however, come from her diabolical faux-French accented phone call collecting money for a non-existent orphanage. Bromilow’s Robyn is bold and carefree on the outer, unfazed by social expectations of what her life should look like. While the accent felt distracting at times, she’s absorbing on stage and has the audience hanging off her every word as her characters’ journey evolves.
Is The Roommate Worth Seeing in Sydney?
The writing challenges expectations of how middle-aged women are usually presented on stage and screen, and refreshingly, Silverman’s text paints them as complex, morally ambiguous and fascinating women. While the work explores themes of loneliness, addiction and identity, I felt the text missed opportunities to push beyond superficial depth on many fronts. Despite the uneven feel of the text, the acting is magnetic; the laughter is constant, and Bell and Bromilow create a dynamic and extremely entertaining duo.
Tickets and Practical Info for The Roommate in Sydney 🎟️
Playing at Ensemble Theatre, June 19 – July 25
Tickets: https://www.ensemble.com.au/shows/the-roommate/
Melbourne
Jun 18 – Jul 11
Athenaeum Theatre
Playwright Jen Silverman
Director Lee Lewis
Assistant Director Jules Billington
Cast Lucy Bell and Belinda Bromilow
Set & Costume Designer Simone Romaniuk
Lighting Designer Matt Cox
Composer & Sound Designer Madeleine Picard
Dialect Coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley
Voice of Sharon’s Son Jeremy Waters
Stage Manager Jen Jackson
Assistant Stage Manager Maddison Craven
Costume Supervisor Lily Mateljan
THE ROOMMATE is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
