A ROOM WITH A FEUD

A hilarious cast makes David Lindsay-Abaire’s
roommate rivalry irresistible

Linda Libby and Eileen Bowman

Why grow old gracefully when you can do it on your own terms? Ripcord, David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2015 play now at The Roustabouts, yields hilarious results.

Eileen Bowman and Linda Libby

The action centers on Abby Binder (Linda Libby) and her new roommate, Marilyn Dunn (Eileen Bowman), at Bristol Place Senior Living Facility. Abby is a cantankerous, fiercely independent woman who has successfully driven away previous roommates and desperately wants her room to herself. Marilyn, by contrast, is relentlessly cheerful, talkative, and determined to enjoy life. Abby’s attempts to irritate Marilyn barely dent her sunny disposition, while Marilyn’s efforts to lighten Abby up meet an equally stubborn resistance. Think a crabbier Dorothy Zbornak from The Golden Girls put in a room with Dolly Parton.

Linda Libby

Scotty (John DeCarlo), the good-natured resident aide and aspiring actor, finds himself caught between them as their conflict escalates. Marilyn’s daughter Colleen and son-in-law Derek (Samantha Ginn and Matthew Javier) also become involved, enthusiastically supporting Marilyn’s side of the increasingly competitive battle. The humor comes largely from the absurd lengths these supposedly mature adults go to in order to win control of the room—and from the contrast between Abby’s sarcasm and Marilyn’s unwavering optimism. What begins as a dispute over a room and a window quickly grows into an entertaining contest of wills.

Matthew Javier and Samantha Ginn

The bottom line on this show is that it’s just solidly good fun. Lindsay-Abaire’s script is crisp, biting, and never loses its flair. Director Phil Johnson excels at finding laughs beyond those written into the script, taking it to a higher level of entertainment.

Eileen Bowman

Then there’s this terrific cast. Libby and Bowman are a dream pair, each taking their characters big without crossing into clowning. In particular, Bowman adds delicious touches to Marilyn’s unsinkable nature that prompt big laughs. Conversely, each actress also shows tenderness, especially Libby in a very touching scene. Eddy Lukovic joins her in this scene, in a role I won’t give away, matching Libby’s emotional intensity; this after playing a far bolder, goofier character in Act I. Ginn and Javier, however, do cross over into clowniness, much to my delight. Rather than taking me out of the moment—which going so bold can do—their joy in eccentricity has us rooting for them. Javier pulls off a sight gag in his Act II entrance that had everyone laughing so hard that I believe it delayed his ability to get his first line out. Between the two of them, I don’t know if I’ll ever again hear the word “sassafras” without breaking into a smile. DeCarlo (fresh off of cracking us up in Theatre People) doesn’t get a lot of punch lines, but anchors the cast nicely and gets a great comedic moment in Act II.

Eddy Lukovic and Linda Libby

It’s a shame this play only got a limited run Off-Broadway, because the script is terrific. I never got to see the starry New York production, but if it were half as good as what I saw tonight, more people should have gotten a chance to see it. Happily, here in San Diego, we do!

Linda Libby, Eddy Lukovic, Samantha Ginn, and Eileen Bowman

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photos by Michael Pearce

Ripcord
The Roustabouts Theatre Company
Scripps Ranch Theatre, 9783 Avenue of Nations in San Diego
ends on Nov. 1, 2026
for tickets, call 619.728.7820 or visit The Roustabouts

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