Dynamic Duo Delights in The Rep’s Offbeat Comedy ‘The Roommate’

Dynamic Duo Delights in The Rep’s Offbeat Comedy ‘The Roommate’

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.

Strong Women Productions Dominate St. Louis Theater Circle Awards

Strong Women Productions Dominate St. Louis Theater Circle Awards

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
Plays with substantial women roles were spotlighted at the seventh annual St.
Louis Theater Circle Awards March 25, with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’
musical production of “Evita” and a homegrown “A Streetcar Named Desire” from
the third annual Tennessee Williams Festival each receiving seven awards.

Both iconic female-lead shows had received the most
nominations, 11 apiece, when the Circle announced them in January. The awards
recognized outstanding work locally produced by regional professional companies
during the calendar year 2018.

Nominees Kari Ely and Michelle Hand in “Into the Breeches!”The comedy “Into the Breeches!”, the first play in Shakespeare
Festival St. Louis’ new program, “In the Works,” won four awards. The world
premiere was in January 2018, with its first St. Louis performances in
September. The comedy from Chicago playwright George Brant is about a
fictitious theater group in 1942, and with the men away at war, the director’s
wife sets out to produce an all-female version of “Henry V.” It had roles for
six women and two men. In addition to awards for ensemble, director Nancy Bell
and best production, Michelle Hand won best actress.

The Circle, which includes veteran area theater critics, annually recognizes outstanding work in comedies, dramas and musicals, and with two opera categories.

Each of the 33 categories featured five nominees, with 23 local companies cited for 54 shows, and 120 artists receiving nods, including 10 with two apiece.

This year, there were three ties: sound design in a play, costume design in a musical and musical ensemble.

Evita won seven awards from the Circle“Evita,” the vibrant Tony Award-winning Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical, earned awards for musical direction (Charlie Alterman), choreography (Gustavo Zajac and Mariana Parma), set design (Luke Canterella), lighting (John Lasiter), director (Rob Ruggiero, his third), ensemble and production of a musical.

The landmark “A Streetcar Named Desire,” written in 1947 by the great American playwright Tennessee Williams, who spent his formative years in St. Louis, earned honors for Sophia Brown as Outstanding Actress – for her heart-wrenching portrayal of the emotionally needy and mental fragile faded beauty Blanche Dubois, sound design (original music by Henry Palkes and sound by Amanda Werre), lighting design (Sean M. Savoie), set design (James Wolk), direction (Tim Ocel), ensemble and production of a drama.

The 18 other awards went to separate shows, with both The
Black Rep and The Muny winning three apiece, and The Rep adding two more for earning
the most, nine.

Jeff Cummings and Katy Keating in “Life Sucks.” Photo by ProPhotoSTLIn comedy, Katy Keating won for Supporting Actress as feisty but unrequited lovesick Sonia in New Jewish Theatre’s “Life Sucks,” a ‘sort of’ adaptation of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” by Aaron Posner. She was also part of the award-winning ensemble of “Into the Breeches!”.

Isaiah Di Lorenzo in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” Photo by Ron James.Isaiah Di Lorenzo won Supporting Actor as The Player, the leader of the Tragedians, in St. Louis Shakespeare’s production of Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” He also was in the award-winning ensemble of “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Will Bonfiglio as Mary Dale in “Red Scare on Sunset.” Photo by Justin Been. Will Bonfiglio won his second Outstanding Actor Award, as film star Mary Dale in Stray Dog Theatre’s “Red Scare on Sunset.” He was honored in 2017 for the one-man show, “Buyer & Cellar,” also at Stray Dog.

For costume designs, Lou Bird won for The Rep’s “Born Yesterday” vintage wardrobe in the play category and there was a tie in the musical category between Leon Dobkowski, who won for The Muny’s colorful “The Wiz,” and Darryl Harris for the elegant “Crowns: A Gospel Musical” at The Black Rep.

There was another tie in sound design in a play – besides “Streetcar,” Rusty Wandall won for Lucas Hnath’s contemporary “The Humans” at The Rep.

Laurie McConnell, left, as Birdie Hubbard in “The Little Foxes.” Photo by Patrick HuberIn drama, Laurie McConnell won Supporting Actress as forlorn
Birdie Hubbard in St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s production of Lillian Hellman’s “The
Little Foxes.” She won in 2017 for Supporting Actress in a Musical, for her portrayal
of Joanne in “Company” at Insight Theatre Company.

Eric Dean White as Satan and Chris Ware as Judas. Photo by Ann AuerbachEric Dean White, a previous nominee, won Supporting Actor for playing the slick, smooth, haughty and conniving Satan in “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at Mustard Seed Theatre.

Ron Himes in “Fences”

Another previous nominee and winner, Ron Himes won Outstanding Actor as bitter garbage collector Troy in August Wilson’s “Fences at The Black Rep last winter. In 2014, The Black Rep won best ensemble and production for “The Whipping Man.”

The Black Rep’s “Torn Asunder” best new playThe Black Rep also won Best New Play for Nikkole Salter’s “Torn
Asunder,” which dramatized true stories of newly emancipated African Americans
trying to overcome the vestiges of slavery so they could reconnect with their
families.

Joy Boland won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of the imposing villainess sea witch in Variety Theater’s “Disney’s The Little Mermaid.”

Beth Leavel as Mama Rose in “Gypsy.” Photo by Philip Hamer.For their powerhouse musical performances, Corbin Bleu won Outstanding Actor as the fleet-footed matinee idol Don Lockwood in “Singin’ in the Rain” and Beth Leavel was honored as the controlling stage parent Mama Rose in “Gypsy,” both at The Muny.

Corbin Bleu in “Singin’ in the Rain” at The Muny. Photo by Phil Hamer.Leavel had been nominated three times before (“Hello Dolly!” “Oklahoma!” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” all at the Muny. She is currently performing on Broadway in a St. Louis-produced original musical, “The Prom.”

Stephanie Merritt and Kent Coffel in “The Light in the Piazza” Kent Coffel won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance as well-meaning haberdasher Signor Naccarelli, Fabrizio’s father, in “The Light in the Piazza,” presented by R-S Theatrics in its St. Louis regional premiere.

Anything Goes at New Line Theatre. Photo by Jill Ritter LindbergTying with “Evita” for musical ensemble was New Line Theatre’s vivacious “Anything Goes.”

It was a three-peat for Ruggiero, who won for directing “Evita,” and had previously been honored for The Rep’s productions of “Follies” and “Sunday in the Park with George.”

“Regina” at OTSL was Outstanding Opera ProductionIn the opera categories, Opera Theatre of St. Louis was honored
for both Outstanding Achievement in Opera, which was given to director Patricia
Racette for “La Traviata,” and the Mark Blitzstein adaptation of “The Little Foxes”
— “Regina,” as Outstanding Production of an Opera.
Three special awards were bestowed:  To the
Muny for a century of performances celebrated during its centennial season of
2018; to Kathleen Sitzer, founder and long-time artistic director of the New
Jewish Theatre, for lifetime achievement; and to Steven Woolf, Augustin
artistic director of The Rep for more than 30 years, also for lifetime
achievement.

Sitzer retired after New Jewish Theatre’s 2017-18 season, while Woolf will retire after The Rep’s 2018-19 season this spring. Organized in 2012, the St. Louis Theater Circle includes founding members Steve Allen of stagedoorstl.com, Mark Bretz of the Ladue News, Robert A. Cohn of the St. Louis Jewish Light, Chris Gibson of Broadway World, Gerry Kowarsky of HEC-TV’s “Two on the Aisle,” Chuck Lavazzi of KDHX, Judith Newmark, now of judyacttwo.com, Ann Pollack of stlouiseats.typepad.com, Lynn Venhaus, now of St. Louis Limelight magazine, Bob Wilcox of HEC-TV’s Two on the Aisle, and Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tina Farmer of KDHX and Michelle Kenyon of snoopstheatrethoughts.com. Eleanor Mullin is the administrator.

Those who helped produce the show at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University included Andrea Torrence and Peggy Holly, who put together the slide show; awards assistance Hannah Daines, stage manager Alycia Martin and assistant stage manager Delaney Dunster, voice-over announcer Colin Nichols and box office assistants Kimberly Sansone and Harry Ginsburg.

Renowned local musician Joe Dreyer was the accompanist and Deborah Sharn performed an opening number.

Special thanks to Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, Price Waterhouse Cooper LLC, who tabulate the Circle ballots, and to the awards certificate calligrapher Susan Zenner.

Contact the Circle by email: stltheatercircle@sbcglobal.net and like us on Facebook.

Evita at The RepInto the Breeches! at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

“La Traviata” at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

Bold, Brilliant ‘Admissions’ Burns White-Hot at The Rep’s Studio

Bold, Brilliant ‘Admissions’ Burns White-Hot at The Rep’s Studio

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
“Admissions” doesn’t just confront the elephant in the room, it awakens a stampede.
With brilliant scorched-earth dialogue and willingness to bluntly address uncomfortable truths and contradictions among liberal white Americans, playwright Josh Harmon has opened a space for polite society to reflect on today’s standards and practices.
For the past several years, we’ve started conversations on racial matters. And this play takes one aspect, and all five characters speak their minds in a refreshingly candid way.
So, what am I tiptoeing around? “Admissions” examines whiteness: privilege, power, anxiety, guilt and anger.

Before any fellow Caucasians groan like it’s a bitter pill to swallow, I can assure you the good-sport audiences have taken it in stride and laughed heartily at the frank talk and yes, the hypocrisy, recognizing the things we don’t say, or dare say in whispers, and how we knee-jerk react.
Because of the play’s framework, we’re allowed to feel everyone’s indignation and hear their point of view.
Sherri, as the head of admissions at a tony prep boarding school in New Hampshire, has increased diversity from 6 to 18 percent, an achievement worthy of a celebration by her equally progressive husband. But when her only son, a good student-athlete named Charlie Luther Mason, is denied admittance to Yale while his best friend, a bi-racial student-athlete named Perry, gets in on what they perceive to be “the race checkbox,” well, fireworks ensue.
It’s obvious why this new work, which opened in March at the Lincoln Center, won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics awards for Best Play. Harmon is known for “Bad Jews,” which the New Jewish Theatre produced several years ago.
The Rep’s intimate Studio Theatre has had multiple sold-out performances, for this has struck a nerve, and done so with biting wit and stinging humor.
Steve Woolf’s direction is steam-heat hot. He keeps the pace brisk, and the interaction of the cast is smooth.
The well-prepared cast effortlessly serves and volleys back and forth that it’s like watching a Grand Slam tennis match – the finesse of their delivery is like world-class athletes rising to the occasion.
TUESDAY, OCT. 23, 2018 – This is the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of “Admissions” at the Loretto-Hilton Center. ©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.Henny Russell is rather smug as the high-minded and well-intentioned Sherri Rosen-Mason, who deals with race at work and at home. Her best friend Ginnie Peters (Kate Udall), is married to a bi-racial English professor and is Perry’s mother. Suddenly, fissures erupt in their friendship, and Udall is quick to switch emotions, calling out her friend’s hurtful words.
R. Ward Duffy, appearing in his 10th show at The Rep, and Russell’s real-life husband, is sharp as Bill Mason, who admonishes his son as a spoiled brat and worries about how they got off track and how to work their way back to seeing things clearly.
In a breakthrough role, Thom Niemann triumphs as the privileged young man trying to figure out his place in the world and being “woke” in contemporary America. His agitated, exasperated 17-minute monologue skewering political correctness is one of the year’s best scenes – and got a huge ovation.
In a comical supporting role, Barbara Kingsley is funny as Roberta, a school employee in the development office who is trying to do what Sherri tells her to make their school catalog photos more diverse.
The cast percolates with conviction and relatability.
The office and two-story home scenic design by Bill Clarke is a marvel – one of the largest I’ve seen in that space, and an efficient way to tell this comedy-drama. Lighting designer Nathan W. Scheuer has lit it perfectly while Rusty Wandall’s sound and Lou Bird’s costumes add to the atmosphere.
Even with the best of intentions, we may be part of the problem instead of the solution we think we are striving for, and “Admissions” allows us to see the opportunity to reflect on what’s happening now.
We don’t live in a void. Bold, daring and razor-sharp, “Admissions” helps us see we need to have more conversations, and it’s imperative we keep up the dialogue, at this very divisive time.
“Admissions” played The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Studio Theatre Oct. 26 – Nov. 11.
TUESDAY, OCT. 23, 2018 – This is the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of “Admissions” at the Loretto-Hilton Center. ©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr. 
 
 

‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Headlines The Rep’s ‘Admissions’ Cast

‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Headlines The Rep’s ‘Admissions’ Cast

The Rep is kicking off its 2018-2019 Studio Theatre season with Admissions, Joshua Harmon’s 2018 Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Play. Directed by Steven Woolf, it’s a biting piece of theatre whose acidic humor goes straight for the throat.
Henny RussellPrep school admissions director Sherri Rosen-Mason lives according to staunchly progressive values. Her daily battles include diversifying both the school’s student body and the photos in its brochures. But when her teenage son claims those same values have denied him opportunities as a white student, it creates an explosive conflict that exposes their family’s hypocrisies and privileges.
Henny Russell stars as Sherri. On the most recent season of Orange is the New Black, Russell memorably portrayed the bespectacled prison boss Carol, who quickly became a fan favorite due to her ruthless methods and intimidating presence. Russell’s theatre credits include the Tony Award-winning Oslo on Broadway, as well as The Rep’s 2005 production of Frozen.
Ward DuffyRussell’s real-life husband Ward Duffy (The Other Place, 2014) returns to The Rep as her onstage husband, Bill. Rep newcomer Thom Niemann portrays their son, Charlie. Barbara Kingsley (You Can’t Take It With You, 2010) and Kate Udall complete the cast.
The Rep’s Augustin Family Artistic Director Woolf directs. This is the first of two shows that he’ll direct in his final season as The Rep’s artistic leader. His design team includes scenic designer Bill Clarke (Constellations, 2017), costume designer Lou Bird (Born Yesterday, 2018), lighting designer Nathan Scheuer (Heisenberg, 2017) and The Rep’s resident sound designer, Rusty Wandall.
Thom NiemannTickets to The Rep’s production of Admissions are currently on sale and can be purchased online at repstl.org, by calling the Box Office at 314-968-4925 or visiting the Loretto-Hilton Center at 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University). Ticket prices range from $46 to $71.
Show times are Tuesday, Wednesdays and Sunday evenings at 7 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays and selected Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. Matinee performances are Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
For more information about Admissions, visit repstl.org/admissions