Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Silverman is an observant, lyrical and kind writer, generous to all and without any notes of condescension in her writing. And there is nothing wrong with a summer drama that's perfectly content not to range far and wide, out there into the heat. But, ideally, there would be more bite than you can find in Rashad's Steppenwolf production."
Chicago Sun Times - Not Recommended
"...Directed by Phylicia Rashad, the performances in Silverman's 90-minute endeavor are fine. One would expect no less from ensemble members Sandra Marquez and Ora Jones, both of whom have been formidable leading ladies in Chicago for decades. But Silverman's plot is an eye-roller, and not in a good way."
Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended
"...But while it's easy to imagine a middle-aged empty-nester deciding to change her life, the choices Sharon makes strain credulity, especially when it comes to how swiftly she adopts her new image. To that extent, they feel more like a writerly contrivance than a genuine transformation."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Silverman pushes her characters to what might be a heartrending climax, as one flees and the other collapses. But the play's schematic nature results in mostly unearned sentiment."
Chicago On the Aisle - Recommended
"...Surely the first thing that will come to mind for many viewers in the opening scene of Jen Silverman’s play “The Roommate” at Steppenwolf Theatre is “The Odd Couple” – recreated here for two middle-aged women. Sharon is a dowdy Iowa mom living alone who takes in worldly New Yorker Robyn, who’s looking to get away from it all for a while. But “The Odd Couple” it is not. Silverman’s drama is ultimately tragic, and desperately sad."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Tony-winning director Phylicia Rashad brings myriad subtle touches to the play's permutations. Marquez's chirpy Midwestern bonhomie is hilariously contrasted with Jones's urban wariness, itself a cunning mix of double takes and deadpan. It's pure joie de vivre meets industrial-strength sang-froid."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...Let's Play 'Highly Recommends' The Roommate a play where The Odd Couple meets Breaking Bad and where women of a certain age are visible again to society."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...What makes this production even more sparkling is the ladies who bring these two characters from paper to life, Ora Jones and Sandra Marquez. Can a playwright and director ask for a better twosome than this? I think not!"
WTTW - Somewhat Recommended
"...Martinez and Jones are wonderful to watch, and they manage to make the most of the play’s comedy and surprises, but they can’t camouflage the fact that “The Roommate” is a wholly artificial construct. These actresses deserve far better material."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...It’s refreshing and eye-opening to enjoy a new show about the lives of middle-aged women. Jen Silverman’s two-character play certainly has the potential to be that play, but she’s, unfortunately sold out to the sitcom format, instead. This particular production is further complicated by a scenic design that, while beautiful, overshadows the characters and their story. The performances are strong and spicy, but the overall effect is like eating a bowl of unsalted popcorn: filling, but not entirely satisfying."
Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Eventually, a bit of story unfolds as Sharon discovers there’s more to Robyn than meets the eye; without spoiling the reveal, suffice it to say that her move to Iowa was likely to remove herself from some sticky situations back East. With this new truth about Robyn revealed, I found myself hopeful that here is where the real tension, the stuff we can really sink our teeth into, would be found. Unfortunately, no such pot of gold is waiting at the end of this rainbow. The women talk their way through Robyn’s past and Sharon’s fascination with it, and while it does cause a rift in their friendship, it all feels too fleeting to really empathize with either of them."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Adeptly directed by Phylicia Rashad to achieve the highest impact possible during the 90 minute show, "The Roommate" transforms Sharon, an uptight, judgmental, highly moral, 50-something, empty-nester into an amoral woman willing to try anything."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...You never know when a simple decision is going to change your life. You could meet the person you will marry because one day you happen to be walking on the west side of the street instead of the east. (This literally happened to me.) In Jen Silverman's The Roommate, now playing at Steppenwolf Theatre, a woman finding herself alone after a divorce decides to do something she's never done: seek someone to share the expenses. The woman who answers her ad shifts the foundations of her naďve world in surprising and wonderfully comical ways, and her life will never be the same."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...What's really interesting about [this play] is that the usual dynamic between a city slicker and a country bumpkin is usually an older country bumpkin and a young city slicker..."
Splash Magazine - Recommended
"...The questions arise as the grim- or is it sweet- ending settles. Who was Robyn? Who coerced whom? What partner in this odd couple went too far? Who protected whom? Had either woman genuinely changed? What will happen next? Under the skillful direction of Rashad, Marquez and Jones shine in thoroughly engaging portrayals of two complex and concealed personalities. The script is smart, as we are taken into a con within a con, crafted with wit and an eye for nuance. There were a lot of transitions for these actors to make in a brief period of time, requiring subtle and not-so-subtle changes in their demeanor, bravado, behavior toward each other, attention to their offstage offspring. This was by no means an easy script to put across; deceptively open, it was instead uneasy and unsettling."
