Don’t underestimate Lyric Stage Company’s The Roommate as a frothy chick lit piece about middle aged women. The innocent splash of coffee on the promotional poster does not begin to describe this thrilling drama. With unexpected twists and two exceptional leads, Jen Silverman’s The Roommate is so much more than that. The Lyric Stage took the audience from an Argentinean prison in Kiss of the Spider Woman in September to the welcoming setting of a rural kitchen in Iowa for The Roommate, but both settings have their share of dark secrets. The Roommate features an odd coupling of one woman who is overwhelmed by life and the other who wants to change hers completely.
The Lyric Stage presents ‘The Roommate’ Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage Company
Directed by Spiro Veloudos and laden with funny, relatable moments, Jen Silverman’s The Roommate, a one act, 90 minute drama with no intermission, continues at 140 Clarendon Street in Boston, Massachusetts through November 18. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Surrounded by a little too cheerful, inviting Iowa kitchen decorated in mismatched floral décor and what looks like a working island stove, the setting, cleverly designed by Jenna McFarland Lord, could be an extension of Paula Plum as frenzied, relentlessly upbeat Sharon. Having never had a roommate before and in her mid 50s, it is easy to relate to her nervous twittering and chatter as she waits for her roommate to arrive.
Adrianne Krstansky as Robyn and Paula Plum as Sharon Photo courtesy of the Lyric Stage Company
Dressed in a floral blouse and apron, Sharon is the picture of country living, her hands always busy with an occasional nervous laugh masking melancholy and loneliness. Paula Plum steps seamlessly into the role of this complicated woman enhanced by her gasps, her excited utterances of glee, and her flicker of self awareness that brings Sharon to exuberant life.
When collected, quiet, and artistic Robyn arrives, Sharon considers how different their worlds are. The Roommate contains as many humorous moments as it does dark ones and a particularly amusing highlight surrounds the two women’s backgrounds. Sharon brows rise when Robyn describes her Bronx background while Robyn becomes startled over potential Iowa tornadoes while Sharon brushes them off. Their quirky, malleable chemistry has a life of its own and it evolves and transforms throughout the play.
Paula Plum as Sharon and Adrianne Krstansky as Robyn Photo courtesy of Lyric Stage Company
Dressed in dark colors and Doc Martins which match her black hair styled in a bob, Adrianne Krstansky portrays Robyn close to the chest, a mysterious, stealthy woman mature beyond her years where every personal detail is a painful revelation. Krstansky gives an understated performance which simmers as the play progresses. Each one of Krstansky and Plum’s conversations is a palpable tug of war, and one can’t help but hope that traditional, sheltered Sharon will somehow win. However guarded Sharon and Robyn are, both are longing to relate to one another and the end result reveals more about themselves than they could have possibly imagined.
Paula Plum as Sharon and Adrianne Krstansky as Robyn Courtesy of the Lyric Stage Company
The Lyric Stage Company proudly presents The Roommate continuing through Sunday, November 18 at 140 Clarendon Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for tickets and more information. Subscriptions and dinner packages are also available. Follow The Lyric Stage on Twitter and Facebook for their upcoming productions and more.
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