Caveat pokes good-natured fun of the kinds of people everyone who’s looked for a group house in D.C. will recognize. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)

Reminds us of: The Bachelorette meets House Hunters, but unlike reality television this feels real. Way too real.

Flop, Fine or Fringe-tastic: Fringe-tastic.

For those (like me) who have gone through the absolute hell that is group house-hunting in D.C., Caveat will make you snort with pained laughter, guaranteed. Playwright Ben Lockshin and his cast expertly satirize the first-date-like awkwardness that is trying to impress random people you’ve just met to get something you’re not sure you even want. At 45-minutes, the sketch is short but sweet, peppered with winks to the local dynamics of gentrification (the room for rent is located in “NoFlo,” short for “north of Florida Avenue”) for District denizens who have lived here awhile. The pleasingly minimalist set further highlights just how ubiquitous this whole crappy experience is — this group house with a blow-up mattress could be any group house with a blow-up mattress.

The four people vying for the dingy basement bedroom — and the hearts and minds of the current tenants “looking for a roommate with the right vibes” — manage to feel familiar without falling into cringey caricature. (I found myself chuckling out loud in part because I genuinely felt I had met most of these characters at a party last weekend.) Still, the recently-transplanted hippie, the young Republican who works on the Hill and DJs on the side, the type-A basic Bethesda b*tch, and the odd nerdy graduate student are all acted out in genuine fun that never tips over into mean-spiritedness, making it a thoroughly enjoyable show. If nothing else, you’ll leave grateful you have a place — or, if you don’t, relieved that you’re not alone in your house hunting misery.

Where to See It: Gallaudet University on July 9 at 11:00 a.m., July 12 at 7:45 p.m., July 16 at 8:00 p.m. and July 23 at 12:00 p.m. Buy tickets here.

See here for all of DCist’s 2017 Capital Fringe coverage. All shows are $17, with a button ($7) required for entry.