Roaches by Eavann Mallon
Roaches: The Staying Power of Female Friendships
Review written by Laura Rodríguez-Davis
We’ve all heard the saying: Roaches are the only thing that would survive a nuclear blast. While the accuracy of this claim is dubious, surviving is exactly what Juniper, Reece, and Emma are trying to do as young women in Eavann Mallon’s ‘Roaches’. Directed by Hannah Reilly and playing at Bright Umbrella’s Sanctuary Theatre, ‘Roaches’ is a tribute to the joys and challenges faced by 20-something women in today’s Northern Ireland.
The play opens with Emma (Niamh McAuley) and Reece (Eavann Mallon) dragging a drunken and bloodied Juniper (Annie McIlwaine) back home following an eventful pub quiz. Brazen Juniper is determined to keep the party going, much to the sororal annoyance of Emma and Reece. Emma, the peacemaker and self-proclaimed ‘glue’ of the trio, receives phone calls throughout the night from a coworker while Reece, queer and estranged from her family, seems perpetually on edge and ready to bicker at the slightest provocation.
Through well-paced and quick-witted banter, the roommates reveal the bonds of their familial sisterhood over the course of the night. Indeed, if you had to assign a birth order to each character, Emma’s maternal sensitivity places her as the eldest, Juniper’s brash frivolity is quintessential of the youngest child, and Reece’s insecurity under the guise of prickliness makes her the middle child. The dynamic among the three is natural and familiar, instantly recognizable to any woman living with her best friends amid the throes of early adulthood.
Per tradition, the revered pinnacle of sisterly celebration is belting Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’, complete with choreography, following an inebriated night out-perfectly captured in a standout sequence that will make you wish ‘Roaches’ was produced in the style of ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’.
As is also tradition, late-night secrets and confessions test the aforementioned bonds of our heroines. What do Reece and Juniper know that Emma can’t? Why is Emma on the phone with her coworker (and inviting him over?!!?) at nearly midnight on a Friday? What’s really behind Juniper’s drunken rage?
The unfurled revelations feel abducted from the pages of a Zillenial’s journal but also would not be out of place in your mother’s diary. The rants about identity, fertility, and gender norms are by no means new, but attest to the enduring relevance of these issues across generations. And in an era of the tradwife as influencer and far-right restrictions on female bodily autonomy, it’s perhaps worth considering that the public conversation around these topics, if unoriginal, is still far from over. ‘Roaches’ decidedly informs us it is not.
What does feel uniquely Zillenial is Juniper’s exposé regarding her debauchery. An aspiring professional singer, the partygoer bemoans being told she could be whatever she wanted to be as a child and then is seemingly punished for chasing her dream as an adult. For generations whose careers began in unfavourable circumstances (millennials, a global recession; Gen Z, a pandemic), Juniper’s lamentations holds resonance, voicing the impact of society’s disdain for artists daft enough to create art professionally.
Juniper’s transition from bacchanalian drunkard to stalwart friend is seamlessly performed by McIlwaine in a fully realised character arc and a transformation so smooth, you’ll wonder when it happened. Her surfaced compassion and unshakable loyalty reminds every girl who’s had to carry home her favourite unrestrained reveller or hold her hair while she vomits into the toilet why she does it.
The artistry of Mallon and Reilly give the play a tone that would be right at home in a Channel 4 dramedy, à la ‘It’s a Sin’ or ‘Big Mood’. Strong direction with effective technical choices and one-set scenery imbues the show with a professionalism that makes for an easy viewing experience and allows the audience to stay engaged in the story.
With heart and humour, the story of Emma, Reece, and Juniper celebrates the resilience of modern young women facing obstacles in their careers, relationships, and health and the importance of unrelenting community. ‘Roaches’ is a love letter to the chosen family that carry us as we carry them. They drive you crazy. They make you mad as hell. But when all is said and done, just like a roach, you can’t get rid of them.