By Lynn Venhaus

Sometimes, adults need a playdate too. For a merry good time, head to The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’s Emerson Studio to join in the fun of watching a pair of seasoned performers – two of St. Louis’ finest – beautifully bookend each other in a dark comedy on self-discovery, “The Roommate.”

Jen Silverman’s sharp and funny character study, written in 2015, takes place in a big old house in Iowa City, Iowa. Under Rebekah Scallet’s concise and brisk direction, Kelley Weber and Nancy Bell breathe fresh life into contrasting personalities that are at crossroads.

Their odd-couple pairing is often the foundation for beloved television sitcoms, but in The Rep’s Studio space, it is an intimate journey molded by the playwright’s wit, technical brilliance, and the pitch-perfect comedic timing of the two lead actresses.

With a saucy wink and a broad smile, Scallet assuredly prepares us for the unexpected, timing out revelations for maximum effect, so that the audience is quickly invested in each unusual turn of events.

A never-better Weber plays sensible Sharon, recently divorced whose son lives away. She’s a chipper sort who has played it safe for most of her life, seemingly content with her rather traditional lifestyle. To help pay the bills and have some company, she advertises for a roommate.

Kelley Weber and Nancy Bell in “The Roommate.” Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

Enter luminous Nancy Bell as Robyn, a free spirit who wants to relocate from New York City. She’s very different from Sharon – she reveals she is gay, vegan, a smoker trying to quit, and grows pot. (Marijuana remains illegal in Iowa, although medical marijuana is allowed). Mysterious, she appears to have more secrets, and some of her murky past eventually comes out.

Bell, widely respected for her talents on stage and directing productions, portrays Robyn with a marvelous ease. She understands Robyn’s desire to create a new identity after a lifetime of mistakes and regrets.

Weber, who hasn’t been as visible in recent years but recently retired as an educator, goes beyond the stereotypical Midwest homemaker to depict a range of emotions — showing loneliness, frustration, desires, and vulnerability.

Bell and Weber are old friends in real life, and project an unmistakable bond on stage. As natural as two people can be slipping into the skin of another – Bell sporting a temporary snake tattoo on her arm – they are convincing as they transform because of each other’s influence.

Most jarring is Sharon’s embrace of things dark, dangerous and criminal. Weber’s zest for walking on the wild side is not only believable but hilarious, while Robyn’s more casual personality takes a back seat when she becomes a cautionary voice of reason.

Kelley Weber is Sharon in “The Roommate.” Jon Gitchoff photo.

Those differences are what propel the action in this 90-minute show without intermission. Some twists and turns take place that are unforeseen, and while Silverman boxes in the characters toward its awkward conclusion, you never feel that the actresses are disingenuous. Their performances are complete.

While the offbeat story is the centerpiece, the creative team has enhanced the atmosphere with splendid work. Noteworthy is Jayson M. Lawshee’s warm interior lighting design and Kareem Deanes’ crisp sound design (with astute music choices for effective needle drops).

Scenic designer Robert Mark Morgan’s cozy kitchen design speaks to the room’s importance as the hub, the heartbeat of the home. With its exterior porch, sitting area and upstairs bedrooms factoring into the action, the setting is functional and the actors’ movements fluid.

The lived-in look and summer season is reflected in Lou Bird’s costume design too – mostly capris and an assortment of colorful print blouses for Sharon and ordinary jeans and T-shirts for Robyn.

A triumph all the way around, “The Roommate” emphasizes that reinvention can happen any time in life – with obvious bumps in the road. It is a bright spot on the fall theater landscape and opens the Studio series with flair.

Nancy Bell as Robyn. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

With all due respect to the renowned stars Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone currently performing in the Broadway production, our St. Louis dynamic duo gives confident, engaging, relatable performances that bristle with energy, indicative of their own star power commanding local stages. Bell and Weber for the win! (Special mention to former associate artistic director Becks Redman for her astute casting.)

“The Roommate” is also special for its significance in re-opening the studio performance space to inaugurate the Steve Woolf Studio series, named after the late artistic director who made his mark in that role for 33 years. He retired in 2019 and died at age 75 in 2021.

In the past, the Studio series presented adventurous productions on a smaller scale than the mainstage season and was known for showcasing a variety of voices. The Studio remained dark after the pandemic shutdown in 2020, although “Gruesome Playground Injuries” was presented at the Kirkwood Performing Arts’ Strauss black box theatre in 2022.

Sitting in the Loretto-Hilton Center’s Studio space Friday, being part of its return, felt like a warm group embrace. Fond memories were shared and that feeling of comfort and familiarity surfaced.

That feeling carried over in the goodwill and support for what the current Augustin Family Artistic Director Kate Bergstrom and Managing Director Danny Williams are trying to achieve since The Rep announced its struggle to remain open in fall 2023. They launched a successful “Rally for the Rep,” and the turnaround to date has been remarkable.

Live theater has taken on a feeling of coming home since its return from the global pandemic, and that reconnection is meaningful, especially that The Rep is beginning its 58th season.

Given The Rep’s challenges and its renaissance-in-progress, there is a new sense of belonging, that people are pulling together to help it succeed in its mission. “The Roommate” is one of the reasons to cheer.

Kelley Weber. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents “The Roommate” Oct. 23 – Nov. 17 in the Emerson Studio, 130 Edgar Road, St. Louis. Subscriptions and single tickets are available online at repstl.org, over the phone 314-968-4925 or in person at the Loretto-Hilton Center Box Office Tuesdays – Thursdays from 10:30-5pm. Seating for the production is General Admission with subscribers given priority seating beginning 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Rush Tickets: Available for students, seniors, educators, and theatre professionals by calling the Box Office at 314-968-4925, 1 – 2 hours prior to curtain time. For more information, please visit repstl.org.

Post Show Discussions follow Saturday, Nov. 2 and 9 at 4 pm performances.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is proud to present the return of the Steve Woolf Studio Series – Adventurous Theatre for Adventurous Theateregoers for the 2024/25 Season in the Emerson Studio of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University. The two play series features a wickedly funny comedy, The Roommate by Jen Silverman running October 26 – November 17, 2024, and the fast-paced engaging play Athena by Gracie Gardner, January 15 – February 8, 2025.

The Steve Woolf Studio Series is in addition to the previously announced Mainstage Season featuring the suspense thriller Dial “M” for Murder September 18 – October 13, 2024; the holiday musical Million Dollar Quartet Christmas in partnership with STAGES St. Louis,  December 4 – 22, 2024; Lynn Nottage’s Tony-nominated comedy, Clyde’s, February 5 – March 2, 2025; and the uproarious retelling of Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, March 19 – April 13, 2025 all performed at the Loretto-Hilton Center, in the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre on the campus of Webster University. 

“Adventurous black-box theatre brimming with vital heart, humor and dramatic action flexes a different and exciting muscle of storytelling for our community to enjoy here again at The Rep. Bringing back that immersive, intimate communal experience with the Steve Woolf Studio Series thrills as I kick off my first season here as Artistic Director.” said Kate Bergstrom, Augustin Family Artistic Director.

“Our studio season demonstrates that coming of age can happen at any time in a person’s life-from 16 to 60, especially with a firecracker of a new “friend” in the mix. The Roommate and Athena feature strong female duos that must balance their own morals and survival instincts amidst the risk and reward of creating a human connection. These stories are funny and gut-wrenching all the while being ferocious and heartwarming. I can’t wait to welcome audiences back to the Studio as we go on this coming of age adventure together.”

Steven Woolf

“As The Rep continues to move forward, it’s important to look back to honor and celebrate the legacy of those before us,” said Danny Williams, Managing Director.  “Steve Woolf made an immeasurable impact on not only the theater, but the St. Louis community by encouraging theatergoers to take a risk with newer unknown plays and playwrights.  His risk was our reward as we continue his legacy with two contemporary and adventurous plays in our home at the LHC that will enrich our subscribers’ thirst for exceptional theatrical experiences.”

First in the series is The Roommate, directed by Rebekah Scallet, Artistic Director of New Jewish Theatre and features set design by Robert Mark Morgan a St. Louis-based multidisciplinary artist teaching stage design at Washington University, costume design by Lou Bird whose designs were featured in The Rep’s Clybourne Park and The Invisible Hand, lighting design by Jayson Lawshee whose recent work at COCA include Matilda and Billy Elliot, and sound design by Kareem Deanes who last worked on Gruesome Playground Injuries at The Rep.

In The Roommate, middle-aged Sharon, recently divorced and seeking a sensible roommate, opens her home to Robyn, a mysterious woman with a murky past. Entwining this unlikely duo’s lives in shared dish-duty and shady business, Jen Silverman takes us on an uproarious journey of self-discovery, secrets and revelations. Challenge societal norms, embrace the unexpected, and revel in the reinvention that only true friendship can spark in this dark comedy that proves coming of age can happen anytime, anywhere- even your own kitchen table!

Athena, directed by Kate Bergstrom in her studio directorial debut as Augustin Family Artistic Director, will feature competition and friendship going head to head with live fencing on the piste. In Gracie Gardner’s engaging new play, which was named a New York Times Critics’ Pick, characters Mary Wallace and Athena are brave, and seventeen, and fencers, and training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends.

Cast and further creative team for both productions to be announced soon.

Leadership support for The 24-25 Steve Woolf Studio Series is generously provided by  Susan and Peter Tuteur, with additional production support  for Athena by Gwen and Paul Middeke and Ven and Cynthia Houts.

Subscriptions and single tickets are available online at repstl.org, over the phone 314-968-4925 or in person at the Loretto-Hilton Center Box Office  Tuesdays – Thursdays from 10:30-5pm.  Seating for the Studio Series is General Admission with subscribers given priority seating beginning 30 minutes prior to curtain. 

For more information, please visit repstl.org.

About the Playwrights:

Jen SilvermanThe Roommate
Jen is a New York-based playwright, novelist and screenwriter. Jen’s plays include Spain; Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties; The Moors; The Roommate; Witch and Highway Patrol. They have been produced off-Broadway, regionally across the US, and internationally in Australia, the UK, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Spain. Jen is the author of the debut novel We Play Ourselves and the story collection The Island Dwellers; Jen’s next novel is forthcoming from Random House in 2024. Jen wrote The Miranda Obsession as a narrative podcast for Audible, starring Rachel Brosnahan. Jen is a three-time MacDowell Fellow and a member of New Dramatists. Honors include the Yale Drama Series Award and fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim. Jen also writes for TV and film.

Gracie Gardner, Athena
Gracie is an American playwright. With other works selected for Theatertreffen Stückemarkt in Berlin, premiered at Munich Volkstheater, and honored with the Relentless Award; it was developed by Less Than Rent at HERE Arts Center, and The Old Vic in London. Her play Athena (New York Times Critics’ Pick) was presented by The Hearth at JACK. Gracie is the recipient of the McKnight National Residency and Commission, an Ensemble Studio Theater Sloan Foundation Commission, the James E. Michael Award and the James Stevenson Prize, and she is a Samuel French OOB Festival winner. She’s a proud member of New Dramatists, Ars Nova Play Group and Youngblood, and she has received commissions from Clubbed Thumb, Manhattan Theatre Club and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

ABOUT THE REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) is the region’s premiere theatre for compelling, award-winning theatrical experiences that entertain, engage, and illuminate audiences’ shared humanity. Founded in 1966, for more than five decades The Rep has sustained and built upon its commitment to artistic excellence by creating, developing, and curating adventurous new works and beloved classics from the most exciting emerging and established American voices. The Rep builds bridges within the St. Louis community and beyond by offering productions that allow audiences to see themselves and the stories that matter to them represented on stage, through the organization’s robust community engagement programs, and across its educational initiatives.

The Rep welcomes audiences with inspiring and expansive productions at several inviting stages across St. Louis including the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts and other venues around the St. Louis area. A thought leader in the national theatre landscape, The Rep is a dedicated partner with arts organizations in St. Louis and across the country, expanding audiences’ appreciation and understanding of the world through theatre. In December 2023, The Rep was named a Missouri Historical Theatre, which is awarded to theaters that contribute to tourism in Missouri, promote arts in its community and throughout Missouri, and has been operational for a minimum of 50 years. Visit www.repstl.org for details and follow @repstl.

Emcees Alan Knoll and Laurie McConnell with producer Ron Stevens at The Repertory Theatre of St Louis for a program during the pandemic, “Keep Arts Alive in St. Louis.” Photo provided.

For 2019-2020, West End Players Guild offers an exciting menu of plays never or rarely seen in St. Louis, including a world premiere commissioned exclusively for WEPG. 

            September 27-October 6, 2019:  Bill Cain’s Equivocation is a Shakespearean tale of intrigue starring the Bard himself.  The King offers Shakespeare a commission he can’t refuse, to write a play about the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament.  Shakespeare discovers it is a perilous assignment, as he learns that the King’s version of the story does not quite square with the facts.  Shakespeare is torn between the between the truth and the Crown.  Can he walk this tightrope without losing his head (literally)?  Tom Kopp directs. 

            December 6-15, 2019:  It’s the world premiere of Vladimir Zelevinsky’s The Cricket on the Hearth, an adaptation of the Charles Dickens story, commissioned and written especially for WEPG.  Steve Callahan directs this tale of unlikely but undying love, a holiday heart-warmer that will both entertain and move you. 

            February 21-March 1:  Sharon’s husband and son are gone and her big Iowa house feels very lonely.  Maybe a roommate will help.  Enter Robyn, who turns out to be someone quite different than she appears to be.  Sean Belt directs Jen Silverman’s The Roommate, a very funny show about standing up to life and daring to do something totally new.  It’s a lesson in life and a quirky “buddy comedy” all rolled up in one.     

            April 17-26, 2020:  What if you could go back in time and change the one moment that reshaped your life forever?  What if you could see a lost love of 40 years ago just one more time, to learn how her life turned out?  Would you?  Steven Dietz’s bittersweet Bloomsday poses the questions – the answers are for you to discover. Jessa Knust makes her WEPG directing debut.     

            Season tickets for the upcoming season go on sale May 1st online at www.WestEndPlayers.org/tickets. Individual show tickets will go on sale in August.  All shows are at the theatre in the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Boulevard in the Central West End.  Actors, take note:  Auditions for Season 109 will begin in June. Watch for further announcements and check for more information at www.WestEndPlayers.org/auditions. 

            West End Players Guild is the region’s oldest continuously-operated theatre company, presenting “big theatre in a small space” since 1911.