Presented by Julia Stephens

Review by Dominic Corr

Jersey at Underbelly, Bristo Square

Isolation often makes for uncomfortable companionship, particularly when forced into close quarters with an unexpected partner. In ROOMIES, written and executed by Julia Stephens, this solo venture constructs a bitingly amusing, deeply compelling narrative exploring two women discovering an unlikely alliance within an institutional ward.

Sophie, a former West Coast trendsetter spiralling toward thirty, isn’t doing grand. Dumped by her celebrity peers and landed in a psychiatric facility by a cautious clinician seeking to dodge liability. Confined inside a room once inhabited by Elizabeth Taylor, she is forced to share space with Molly, an enthusiastic eighteen-year-old living with schizophrenia and intense delusions who is determined to become her companion. As weeks pass and medication regimes shift, Sophie’s superficial obsession with status yields to genuine vulnerability, anchoring a touching connection. Stephens inhabits both roles with remarkable agility, infusing the piece with sharp comedic bite while preserving its emotional core.

Visually, the staging makes exceptional use of sparse resources. Relying solely on two-fold-out cots and scattered clutter, the production conjures a sterile clinical ward. Stephens navigates the floor with formidable physical discipline, leaping across distinct points on stage to alternate fluidly between characters. Furthermore, the text’s critique of the commercialised psychiatric industry and over-medication hits with razor-sharp, unpretentious precision.

Yet, the piece occasionally stumbles in its dramaturgical progression. Moving through several months within sixty minutes, the chronology can prove tricky to track, leaving the central bond feeling a tad rushed in its emotional maturation. Additionally, while the script touches upon serious personal trauma – including self-harm, sexual abuse, and complex clinical diagnoses -these heavy elements are sometimes introduced vaguely or left dangling without receiving the thorough dramatic exploration they warrant. But really, the potential fix for this one lies beyond the limitations of the Fringe; there’s a much deeper, longer production here.

These narrative hiccups aside, ROOMIES remains an accomplished, impressively grounded showcase for Stephens’ talents. Striking a delicate balance between sardonic Hollywood satire and raw human vulnerability, it delivers an authentic, surprisingly hopeful look at connection when rock bottom is reached and a damning indictment on America’s commercialisation of mental health, and healthcare.

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