When Opposites Move In: Trinity Rep’s ‘The Roommate’ Delivers Big Laughs and Bigger Questions
Curt Columbus’ last production as the Providence theater's artistic director – playing through March 19 – is a sharp, fast-paced comedy that examines identity, morality and starting over.
Playing through March 19, this hour-and-forty-minute production features Jackie Davis, who plays Robyn (left) and Kortney Adams, who plays Sharon. Photo by Mark Turek.
For Curt Columbus, the opening night for The Roommate was a bittersweet one.
It was his very last opening night as Trinity Rep’s artistic director, and during the opening remarks, he stated that despite our current world events being unnatural and worrisome, this comedy created by Jen Silverman helps add some light into our lives.
“Being in the theater is part of the change,” Columbus says.
During The Roommate, recent divorcee Sharon shares her home in Iowa with new roommate Robyn. Straight from the Bronx, New York, the mysterious Robyn moves to this new home to hide from her old life and start a new one. Just as quickly as Robyn helps Sharon come out of her shell, Sharon begins to uncover Robyn’s secrets about her past.
The one-act play features Kortney Adams, who plays Sharon, and Jackie Davis, who plays Robyn. Together, these completely different women are a comical duo who form an unlikely but life-altering friendship. With hilarious scenes like the one where Sharon’s talking on the phone and discussing how Robyn’s healthy vegan lifestyle will be a great motivation for her, only for Robyn to walk into the room lighting a cigarette shortly after, confirm to the audience that they’re in for a wild, fun ride.
Throughout the show, true intentions are revealed and risky decisions are made. Robyn and Sharon’s quick-paced dialogues bring up several questions and issues (about motherhood, individuality, morality and finding one’s own path – especially a second time around) that leave the audience pondering their own life choices.
If you’re in the mood for a good laugh and a thought-provoking production, catch The Roommate, playing through March 19, at Trinity Rep. 201 Washington St., Providence, 401-351-4242, trinityrep.com/show/the-roommate
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