The Roomate

Jennifer Childs & Grace Gonglewski

1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s only all comedy theatre company, is presenting the Philadelphia premiere of Jen Silverman’s The Roommate through October 20, 2019 at Plays and Players Theater, 17^th and Delancey Streets. Starring Jennifer Childs and Grace Gonglewski, the play progressively explores how two very different middle age women can share a home and alter each other’s lives. Jennifer Childs portrays Sharon, a recently divorced woman who describes herself as” retired from my marriage.” Grace Gonglewski portrays Robyn, a woman from the Bronx who has done “this and that.” Jennifer’s facial expressions are phenomenal. When Sharon discovers some of Robyn’s secrets, such as growing pot and then selling it, she is astonished and then wants to be “part of the game”. It is hysterical when she enthusiastically develops a client base among her friends and Robyn has to stop her from recruiting 12 year olds to sell to their friends. Robyn is not altogether thrilled with these new developments as she had moved to Iowa from the Bronx to escape her old life. As Sharon has said repeatedly, “Nothing ever happens in Iowa.” When pressed, Robyn tells Sharon some of her other adventures: scamming people on the phone to get their credit card information, car theft, petty theft…Sharon is delighted and wants to learn how Robyn operates. There are many scene changes indicating a new day. Lighting and music are excellent indicators of the scene change and the costume changes are perfect indicators as well. This is a very humorous play. It is not non-stop gag-lines or fall out of your seat funny as some productions are, but is has many laugh lines and is extraordinarily well done. Both veteran actors Jennifer Childs and Grace Gonglewski deliver their lines with a straight face or, as in Jen’s case, with a startled one, and the audience breaks out in laughter. The story-line is somewhat bittersweet but well worth your while to come and explore it. For more information or tickets, call 215-592-9560 or visit online at 1812 productions.org