The Roommate at NC Stage Co.
Stories of innocents being corrupted are prevalent throughout various storytelling mediums, but when they involve characters a fair distance beyond their young adult years, they take on an appealing complexity that allows them to stand apart.
Such is the case with Jen Silverman’s The Roommate, currently delighting theatergoers at NC Stage Co. The two-hander about a pair of women who find themselves under the same roof in Iowa City earns big laughs as nosy recent divorcée Sharon (Callan White) and blunt Bronx transplant Robyn (Jennifer Gatti) attempt to forge some sort of peaceful co-existence.
Against Julie K. Ross’ seemingly functional kitchen set, director Angie Flynn-McIver steers these opposites through a series of honest revelations as details of Robyn’s sordid history come to light.
White nails the overbearing Midwestern mother stereotypes that have held Sharon in check for most of her life, but also excels in depicting her wild side as Robyn coaxes it out of her. Playing the initial wild card of the duo, Gatti confidently channels the mixed emotions of someone running from their past, but it’s in Robyn’s glee-turned-horror at her accidental apprentice’s quick progress that the actor truly shines.
With two talented performers in palpable sync, delivering sharply written dialogue while navigating a range of emotions, the intermission-free 100 minutes fly by. Further aiding the production’s flow, costume designer Casey Watkins intelligently depicts the passage of time via Robyn’s collection of band T-shirts that are nicely complemented by catchy rock anthems from recognizable female artists.
The specifics of the women’s evolving dynamic is best left unspoiled here, but the “Odd Couple meets Breaking Bad” description that other critics have lobbed at the show is apt and a good litmus test of how audience members might react to the content at hand. Whether you’re more of a Felix Unger or a Walter White, The Roommate proves that coming-of-age stories can happen at any age — and that, when handled this conscientiously, they’re all worth considering.
The Roommate runs through Sunday, Oct. 30, at North Carolina Stage Co. For details and tickets, visit ncstage.org.
(Photo courtesy of NC Stage Co.)
