Not since Oscar and Felix – or Laverne and Shirley – have we cackled so hard at the antics of mismatched roommates bumbling through life.
Somehow the Trinity Repertory Company team knew what we needed this season, staging a show that delivers a one-hour-and-40-minute laughfest that cleanses the heaviness of winter and the news cycle while dropping subtle and not-so-subtle messages to chew on.
The Roommate – which runs without intermission – is like binging a sitcom season, watching the newly cohabitating Sharon and Robyn settle in. As the comedic standard goes, one character (Sharon) is tightly wound and prim while the other is a loose compilation of bad decisions and questionable habits.
Instead of working around each other’s style, however, the mere presence of the secretive Robyn – who impulsively moves from the Bronx to Iowa without the lure of job or family – unravels Sharon’s façade. A little digging into some unpacked boxes yields information that sends the pair careening into dangerous if lucrative territory, a place familiar to Robyn but mysteriously intoxicating for Sharon.
Playwright Jen Silverman uses laughter as a shield to explore human foibles and insecurities in a way that’s palatable and provocative. As Sharon veritably leaps out of her comfort zone, the resulting dichotomy of good and bad behavior makes one wonder if she was ever really that innocent. And, do we all contain the potential for such dangerous twinning?
One line adeptly hints at this: “People come up with words to describe themselves because it’s easier.”
The dialogue also highlights the impact – good and bad – one person can have on another. Then, at the end, the personalities shift and you wonder who was influencing whom.
“The Roommate” is wickedly funny in the same way TV sitcoms grip audiences with one-liners and zany antics. There’s a little too much of that at times, perhaps, but it’s all entertaining.
Delivering Silverman’s crisp script is the dynamic pair of Jackie Davis as Robyn and Kortney Adams as Sharon. Although the production marks Adams’ Trinity debut, the chemistry between the two, who happen to be long-time friends, is obvious.
Expert at using body language and facial expressions to craft her characters, Davis gives an outstanding performance that manages to evoke empathy from Sharon and the audience at even her worst revelations.
Adams gives an impressive performance as she juggles what amounts to two characters in the show. Midway through the show, Sharon transforms completely as she and Robyn test their entrepreneurial skills. She starts as robotically sweet and self-limiting, evolving into a bold and brassy businesswoman who sees no limits even when she should. Both interpretations are enigmatic.The Roommate is playing through March 19 in repertory with A Winter’s Tale, sharing Trinity’s downstairs theatre as the company builds additional performance space. For tickets, go to trinityrep.com.