Jennifer Who Is Leaving at Round House Theatre

Jennifer Who Is Leaving

Round House Theatre
4545 East-West Highway Bethesda

Nan is working the night shift, fielding periodic calls from her retired husband with questions about reheating dinner and where his car keys are. Jennifer is trying to tune out Joey, her elderly patient who is relishing getting on her last nerve. And Lili is stressing out about her upcoming SATs. Set in a Dunkin Donuts on the side of a Massachusetts highway, Jennifer Who Is Leaving is a familiar and hilarious exploration of the expectations placed on women; the physical, mental, and emotional labor of being a caregiver; and what happens when we reach our breaking point.

Thru - May 7, 2023

Show Type: Comedy/Drama

Box Office: 240-644-1100

www.roundhousetheatre.org/On-Stage/Explore/Jennifer,-Who-Is-Leaving

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Jennifer Who Is Leaving Reviews

Average Rating based on 8 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Highly Recommended

"...The doughnuts are running low at the Dunkin' in "Jennifer Who Is Leaving," now making its world premiere at Round House Theatre. No matter: You'll get a sugar high just from the acting talent in this hilarious and meaningful play written and directed by Morgan Gould."

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- Celia Wren

DC Theater Arts - Recommended

"...Jennifer Who Is Leaving, a scathing feminist comedy written and directed by Morgan Gould now premiering at Round House, is set in a franchise donut shop just off a Massachusetts highway in the dead of night during a mean winter storm. The title foretells what happens: A woman named Jennifer leaves. But hold on tight for the bite in this uproarious dramedy, which reveals exactly what, why, and whom she leaves. Because Nora's door slam in A Doll's House has nothin' on Jennifer's decision to depart a Dunkin'."

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- John Stoltenberg

MetroWeekly - Recommended

"...A sweary, talky charmer-of-a-play, Jennifer Who Is Leaving is a nice little analog ticker in a world full of smartwatches. When so many plays are fighting to get above the fray with guess-me-if-you-can concept angles or gut-wrenching shockers, this hour or so in the lives of everyday people feels positively cozy."

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- Kate Wingfield

Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended

"...Playwright and director Morgan Gould has a lot to say about the unacknowledged work of women, which the men around them never even notice until it is no longer being done. Her riotous play Jennifer Who Is Leaving, featuring two of the Washington area's most beloved actors, exaggerates the issues in a comedic blast of energy; the work is receiving its world premiere at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland, as part of the Second Annual National Capital New Play Festival."

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- Susan Berlin

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

"...Gilbert and Robinette are both reliably superb performers, but this play is nothing if not a warning against failing to recognize the contributions women make just because they make them all the time. There's something deeply moving about seeing both actors play at least somewhat against type, with Robinette serving up the kind of determined buoyancy directors have often asked Gilbert to supply, while Gilbert channels the exhaustion and bone-deep rage of a woman who hasn't had a day to herself in decades. When she says, "I'll die furious," you hope she's wrong. And fear she's right."

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- Chris Klimek

Washington Blade - Highly Recommended

"...Over about 90 minutes of real time, the story unfolds in peaks and valleys of high anxiety and relative calm; but all along, the play's energy edges toward a mood of borderline hysteria, which Gould has written and a stellar, deeply committed ensemble cast plays to the hilt."

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- Patrick Folliard

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"..."Jennifer Who is Leaving," a dramedy written and directed by Morgan Gould, hits all the right notes, deftly blending slice-of-life comedy with some deeply sobering realities about what goes on behind the closed doors of the various lives inhabiting this play. Taking place entirely inside of a New England Dunkin' Donuts during a snowstorm, the play pulls no punches in terms of the darker (and disappointing) inner lives of its two central characters, but still somehow manages not to take itself too seriously."

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- Anne Valentino

BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended

"...Jennifer Who Is Leaving, written and directed by Morgan Gould, is a snapshot into the lives of four vastly contrasting characters while all stuck in a Dunkin' Donuts on the side of a snow-ridden Massachusetts highway. This script makes a vital commentary on the expectations of women, the lengths women will go to make sure things get done, and what happens when one of them decides to flip the script."

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- Shelby Tyler

Jennifer Who Is Leaving at Round House Theatre