Sharon’s never had a roommate before. In fact, there’s a lot Sharon’s never done before, but Robyn’s about to change all that. Jen Silverman’s The Roommate shatters expectations with its witty and profound portrait of a blossoming intimacy between two women from vastly different backgrounds, as they navigate the complexities of identity, morality, and the promise of reinvention. Being bad never felt so good as it does in this riveting one-act about second acts.
This kind of surface-level engagement is all The Roommate can really withstand. Farrow and LuPone are fun to watch — especially Farrow, whose church-mouse character gradually blossoms with the demurely unhinged glee of a midwestern Mephistopheles — and Silverman has written a good number of funny things for them to say. Their chemistry is spicy and real, and there’s nothing wrong with having a straight-up good time. The trouble is that there’s something weird and sour going on in Silverman’s play that precludes uncomplicated enjoyment of its comedy but never quite touches anything really profound. Beneath its veneer, The Roommate is in an on-again, off-again relationship with its own conscience. It doesn’t know quite what it wants to do or say, or, crucially, exactly how bad it wants to break.
It shouldn’t be a terrible surprise that Farrow and LuPone, the ultimate pros with a combined total of 117 years experience as professional performers, keep our attention at all times. It may well be that our appreciation comes as much from memories of their great roles from the past, as from these characters, who are neither greatly nuanced, nor roll-on-the-floor hilarious, although they have their moments. It seems fitting that Bob Crowley’s set of an airy Iowa house feels unfinished, like an outline of a house, or one under construction.
| 2017 | Williamstown, MA (Regional) |
Original Production at Williamstown Theatre Festival Williamstown, MA (Regional) |
| 2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Mia Farrow |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Mia Farrow |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Mia Farrow |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Mia Farrow |
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