Broadway Access Review -
The Roommate

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ID: image of the The Roommate Playbill in front of the stage with the text "Access Review" on top

 

General Note

This is a review of the accessibility of the theater, of the lighting/sound/scent design of the show, and a list of content warnings as a way to prep folks with various needs before they go see it. 

This is not meant to scare anyone away from seeing the show. Most productions have about the same amount of content warnings and sensory warnings to go along with it, they’re just rarely explicitly written down. 

For some people, knowing these things ahead of time makes it easier to enjoy the show because they know what to expect. And, often, makes those people more likely to see it in the first place. I hope that it’s helpful!

I am also happy to clarify any specifics, just send me a message or an email and I will respond when I can.

Also please note that I make these while seeing a show for the first time, so I may miss some cues or be slightly off as to their placement/cue line!

Theater

Booth Theatre

All comments on the accessibility of lighting are in reference to seats in the back center mezzanine

Bathrooms: 

  • divided into the binary, though there is a sign saying “Please use the restroom that best fits your gender identity and expression”

  • located below the orchestra (women’s on house right, men’s on the left), on the left side of the mezzanine, and an accessible single-user one located at the rear of the orchestra

Other theater accessibility:

  • the theater has a step-free entrance to the orchestra

  • there is no elevator 

  • the theatre offers closed captioning, assistive listening, loop receivers, and audio description devices

Click here for more information on the physical accessibility of this theater.

Light/Sound/Scent

General:

  • I did not need earplugs for this show

  • there is no intermission

  • there is some smoking on stage, I don’t know if seats closer to the stage can smell it or not, but I couldn’t

  • some of the blackouts feel kind of sudden but I didn’t note those cues. You get used to it as the show goes on

  • the sensory accessibility of this show is similar to that of N/A, Purlie Victorious, and Doubt

The Show:

  • after Robin takes off her jacket when dancing – the ~20 second blackout has continuous white-ish on/off flashes of different parts of the stage, like quick cloud to cloud lightning 

  • after Sharon says “credit card information!” on the phone – ~20 second blackout with the flashes, but they are smaller

  • there’s a gun in one scene, it never gets shot

  • loud blackout after “there’s a great liberty in being bad”

Content Advisory

  • weed/general presence of drugs

  • smoking 

  • crime, particularly scams 

  • there is the presence of a gun in one scene

  • some slightly outdated language around queerness, but it’s deliberately framed as such