Review: THE ROOMMATE at Desert Ensemble Theatre will make you think

Desert Ensemble Theatre’s (DET’s) first offering for 2025-26, THE ROOMMATE, a one-act two-person dramedy written by Jen Silverman, is, as is common for DET, brilliantly directed and brilliantly acted. This season will be its last, and it is clear that DET intends to go out with a bang.

At the start of the play, homeowner Sharon (Sonia Reavis) awkwardly welcomes her new roommate, Robyn (Tammy Taylor), to her home in Iowa, where Robyn has moved from New York City for unknown reasons. The women quickly discover that they have nothing  in common except having been married in the past to men, even though Robyn is lesbian. Sharon is looking for something to do with her time — something other than calling her New York-based son multiple times a day. As for Robyn … who knows?

The play, originally produced in 2015, was updated for a 2024 Broadway run starring Mia Farrow (Sharon) and Patty Lupone (Robyn). The play never mentions politics, but it is clear within a few minutes that Sharon is probably a Republican and Robyn either a Democrat or a Socialist. They differ also in the urban-rural divide, their attitudes towards drugs, Sharon’s being stuck in a rut in contrast to Robyn’s having just made a huge change, and Sharon’s constant phone calls to her son in New York, who refuses to pick up, while Robyn won’t disclose whether she even has kids. Because of Robyn’s closed-mouth attitudes, and because Sharon has more stage time, we identify more with Sharon at the beginning, although my view later changed as I learned more about Robyn.

The elaborate set, by well-known local designer Toby Griffin in his first DET outing, is a large, haimish kitchen and patio. With its rich detail and reflection of its owner’s midwestern ideals about thrift and tradition, the kitchen serves as a third character in the play. The kitchen contains appliances and tchotchkes from multiple eras. With its old-fashioned cabinets and appliances, the set implies that the house hasn’t changed much since Sharon moved in. Sharon, however, probably bought a new phone at some point; the corded phone in the kitchen is a touch-tone model from around the 20-aughts. Toby’s creation of a large kitchen and patio on the small stage is a brilliant design feat.

Robyn, who is vegan and who smokes marijuana, is clearly far more sophisticated and worldly than Sharon. Robyn doesn’t say it, but she thinks Sharon is a rube. And Sharon doesn’t know what to think about Robyn, especially because Robyn ducks questions about how she plans to spend her time, what she is doing in Iowa, and what she used to do for a living, in addition to changing the subject whenever Sharon asks whether she has kids.

For a play that is not a mystery or thriller, the plot twists and turns. I could never tell which way it was going, and most of my guesses about where it would go next were wrong. The ending, when it arrived, was nothing that I had predicted. In fact, I was not sure exactly what the ending signified until I purchased the script and mulled it over; now, at least, I can make some guesses about why Robyn made a particular decision, although my guesses may be wrong.

It’s wonderful to see a play written for two late middle-aged women. Sharon and Robyn are old enough to have “been there, done that,” regarding the activities that would occupy young women who lived together. (We never learn how old Robyn is, but Sharon admits to 60.) The play is primarily a comedy but also has some heart-wrenching moments. Movement and facial expressions generate much of the emotion and Sharon spends most of the play twisting fingers and fiddling with clothing. Robyn is supposedly the calm one, but she gets her equanimity by smoking marijuana. These two women after awhile seem to be good for each other. But are they? As the program says, “She’s not who she said she was.” Which character does this refer to? We never find out for sure.

DET used the same updated script performed on Broadway in 2024, rather than the one from 2015. The Broadway reviews raved about Mia Farrow, but were otherwise mixed, including complaints about slow pacing, unnecessary material in the script, and flatness in Patti LuPone’s performance. In contrast to the Broadway revival, DET’s pacing, courtesy of director Kudra Wagner, is perfect. The early part, consisting primarily of comedic lines over the first few weeks of living together as the two nervous women pretend that they’re comfortable with each other zips along at a perfect pace. Also, the two talented actors nail the delivery for Jen Silverman’s frequently sarcastic humor. For example, when Sharon can’t reach her son (a women’s clothing designer in New York), Robyn says he may be out with his boyfriend. Sharon says that he’s straight and has a girlfriend, but the girlfriend is lesbian. Robyn replies, “Oh?” Sharon, who, of course, knows that Robyn is lesbian, says, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

This dialogue bit loses a lot on the written page, but Ms. Reavis and Ms. Taylor perfectly convey Sharon’s embarrassment and Robyn’s irony. We never find out if the women’s clothing designer with the lesbian “girlfriend” is gay or straight, but my guess is quite different from Sharon’s.

I can fill this review with the superlatives that this production of THE ROOMMATE deserves, but the play itself is so unusual that I can’t really describe the action, especially without giving away plot twists. The writing is fine, but the production’s brilliance stems more from the contributions of director Kudra Wagner and the two performers, along with Toby Griffin’s superb design. I highly recommend that everyone who can get tickets see this play!

THE ROOMMATE will run for four more performances, on Friday, November 21, 2025 and Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $44.20 each and available at www.desertensembletheatre.org/shows/ and (760) 565-2476. For more information, email DETCTheatre@gmail.com. All performances take place at the Palm Springs Cultural Center (Camelot Theaters), at 2300 E Baristo Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

DET is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are welcome and may be submitted online at desert-ensemble-theatre-company.snwbll.com/2024-2025-general-campaign or by mail to P.O.Box 2885, Palm Springs, CA 92262

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In its final season, DET will present three remaining productions. First comes DISPERSION OF LIGHT, a world premiere by Rich Rubin and directed by Jerome Elliott Moskowitz. Running from January 23 to February 1, the play offers a poetic, tempestuous portrait of artist Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz, created by the writer of KAFKA’S JOKE.

Next, from March 6 to 15, DET stages METEOR SHOWER, Steve Martin’s surreal comedy directed by Keith Hoffman. What begins as a simple evening of dinner and stargazing unravels into cosmic absurdity, showcasing Martin’s signature wit and eccentricity.

The season concludes April 10–19 with KNIFE TO THE HEART, written by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin and directed by Zimmerman. This sharp-witted story examines emotional bruises and family tensions, brought to life by writers known for THE GOLDEN GIRLS and MARRIED ... WITH CHILDREN.