‘The Roommate’ – Written by Jen Silverman, Directed by Spiro Veloudos; Scenic Design, Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design, Tobi Rinaldi; Lighting Design, Chris Hudacs; Sound Design & Original Music, Dewey Dellay; Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston through November 18, 2018
If you’re thinking that the plot from The Roommate – two middle-aged people who couldn’t be more different from one another find themselves living together – sounds a little too familiar, forget about it. Other than the basic set-up and delivering a lot of laughs (early on anyway), The Roommate couldn’t be more different from The Odd Couple than say, Felix is from Oscar. And in the case of the Lyric’s twistedly comic production, that’s a good thing.
Playwright Jen Silverman’s much edgier two-hander features a pair of seasoned Boston actresses, Paula Plum and Adrienne Krstansky, as Sharon (Plum), a WASP-ish 54 year-old Iowa housewife who is “retired” from her marriage, and Robyn (Krstansky), a similarly-aged, vegan, retired slam poet/potter lesbian from the Bronx. Robyn has left her life in New York behind after answering Sharon’s ad for a roommate, with hopes of starting anew in the land of corn and open space, but as we all know, the universe has a way of laughing when we make plans.
Early on, the play mines the obvious comic nuggets from the differences between the women, such as the dangers they perceive existing on the other’s home turf – alleged crime in the Bronx or the tornadoes in Iowa – which they themselves just accept as part of life. But it soon becomes clear that there’s a lot more going on under the surface – and it’s not just Robyn’s sketchy and secretive past. Both women have emotionally disconnected and geographically distant relationships with their adult children, and neither has a clue as to how to repair those connections. But in some ways, it’s the single thread that makes any real communication between the characters possible.
So while it’s a lot of fun in the beginning watching the women feel each other out, it’s a lot more interesting when they become comfortable enough with each other to drop their guards, as we see when Robyn encourages the straight-laced Sharon to smoke pot with her. The scene is alternately hilarious and revealing, and it’s a testament to both Silverman’s skill as a writer and Plum and Krstansky’s talents as actors that they get it so right. The vignette never reverts to the cheap laughs inherent in most depictions of first-time stoner experiences on stage or in film (not a single mention of Doritos, for instance), but instead opens the door for some real communication – even the beginnings of friendship – between the women.
It’s also where the frothy comedy begins to fade and the weightier (and darker) side of this 90-minute one-act begins to emerge. Robyn, not so surprisingly, has a significant criminal history, but it is Sharon’s reaction to that knowledge that takes this play in an unexpected direction. To say more would be to reveal too much, but the metamorphosis of Sharon goes in such a completely unexpected direction that it nearly stretches plausibility – if not for the ability of the two leads.
Plum has the meatier of the roles, which may seem surprising given that Robyn is the “tough” New Yorker from the Bronx. Sharon is the sheltered Iowan, living in denial that her son may be gay, even though Silverman hands us every clue imaginable to imply as much. Despite a fairly convincing smile and an affable manner, there’s a whirlwind of gross discomfort going on inside, probably fueled by an overwhelming fear of being left alone in the world, and Plum conveys that chronic unease masterfully. In fact, this may be my favorite performance by Plum to date. Her transition from suppressed to emboldened is a thing to behold. Robyn, despite her shady past, is actually the voice of reason in the play, and Krstansky gives a beautifully understated performance in the role.
Silverman originates a pair of truly three-dimensional characters, which isn’t surprising given that she earned her master’s in fine arts from the Iowa Playwrights Workshop and also studied at the Playwrights Program at Juilliard – so she knows these people. This a play that starts off as a standard comedy and ends up in a far different place, so if you’re looking for some entertainment with a little bite, The Roommate is a great pick. For more info, go to: https://www.lyricstage.com/
