How much can one person change the trajectory of your life?

The Roommate at ArtsWest is a beautiful play that will make you laugh, cry, and consider the question, how much can a true friendship change you? Written by Jen Silverman and originally debuting at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 2015, The Roommate follows two middle-aged women, Sharon and Robyn, and the budding friendship that starts when they become roommates. The two women are as opposite as can be. Sharon is a recently divorced, lonely homebody from a small town, while Robyn is free-spirited, from the Bronx, and in search of a new life. This dynamic leads to an emotionally captivating, comedy-rich play that will keep you both on the edge of your seat and contemplating its themes for weeks.

ArtsWest is a perfect venue for this show. It’s a small Black Box theater. No elevated stage. The actresses are only a few feet away from the front row. The only thing separating the stage from the audience are the small vinyl mats that mark the edges of the set. The set, designed by Devin Petersen, is a small kitchen decorated like a typical house from a Disney Channel sitcom. There are a few plants in the window nook above the sink; a small round table you can imagine a family breakfast around; and a fridge with colorful magnets holding up a few pictures of a young boy who no longer lives there. From the beginning to the end of the play, the set only changes as Robyn’s belongings supplant Sharon’s space. Her plants, weed, and boxes upon boxes don’t drastically change the set, but they make it clear that this isn’t just Sharon’s home anymore. It becomes less a stereotypical family home and more Sharon and Robyn’s home, a mix of Sharon’s more traditional values and Robyn’s careless and sometimes cluttered lifestyle. As we watch this change in the set, we also experience the women beginning to connect. They become entwined in each other's lives just as their things intertwine in their new home. Sharon’s house only becomes their home when Robyn and Sharon start to find home in each other. The Roommate is advertised as a dark comedy, so I expected something much less emotional than what I came away with: a bittersweet story about two completely opposite women finding love for each other and changing each other’s lives for the better.

Evan Mosher’s sound design guides the audience through Sharon and Robyn’s connection as it evolves. Throughout the show, Sharon and Robyn play many different kinds of music through many different formats—CDs, records, and straight from a smart phone using a trusty cup as a speaker. The sound design gives the feeling of diegetic music felt by the characters and, therefore, the audience. The crisp noises of putting the needle down on a record feel familiar and grounded. Each format symbolizes a different step in the women’s connection, starting on a phone before Robyn even has her things unpacked; moving to a CD when Sharon starts to open up to Robyn playing the music she used to listen to with her son; and ending with a record from a player they bought together listening to music they both know the beat of. We watch them as they grow together and start to dance in sync, taking on each other’s mannerisms.

The distinct changes in lighting from day to night – by lighting designer Jacob Viramontes – signify the characters’ unfamiliarity with each other. As we become familiar with the story, blinding daylight fades as night comes. Blue lights focus on the kitchen, giving a more mysterious tone as Robyn goes to bed and Sharon stays downstairs, cleaning up, excitedly awaiting what tomorrow has in store. This story isn’t just new to the audience, it’s new to the characters too. Both women are starting new lives—one way or another.

Mari Nelson’s performance as Robyn was captivating from the first line. Robyn is a complex character, both careless and terrified. Nelson acted this perfectly, one second seeming so free and confident in herself, the next defensive and emotionally shut down. Sharon, at the surface, is the exact opposite. She has nothing to hide, and she’s in no way careless. Instead, she’s always stiff and nervous. Sarah Harlett amplified her Sharon, an anxious divorcee always trying to be heard and understood. I was hesitant about this performance at first, worried Sharon would just be a one-sided anxious woman. Boy, was I wrong! As the show grew more tense, Harlett’s comedic timing and tone under such dire circumstances astonished me. Meanwhile, Sharon, now taking on more responsibility, is played perfectly by Nelson, who is just as comfortable playing mystery as she is dread. As an audience, we watch her change from a woman we know nothing about to one we understand and empathize with. 

On the surface, Robyn and Sharon are complete opposites. But as the show goes on, we learn that at their core they both have a similar drive – fear. Robyn is afraid of people finding out the secrets of her past, and Sharon is terrified of being judged for who she really is. It's a would-be farce ripe for comedy until suddenly, drastically, it starts hitting a lot deeper. The Roommate is a phenomenal play. It’s laugh-out-loud funny; aesthetically pleasing with gorgeous lighting and an engaging soundtrack; and will leave you thinking about how a true connection can completely change your life.

Lead photo: Mari Nelson and Sarah Harlett in The Roommate at ArtsWest. Photo by John McLellan.

The TeenTix Newsroom is a group of teen writers led by the Teen Editorial Staff. The Teen Editorial Staff is made up of 5 teens who curate the review portion of the TeenTix blog. For each review, Newsroom writers work individually with a teen editor to polish their writing for publication. 

The TeenTix Press Corps promotes critical thinking, communication, and information literacy through criticism and journalism practice for teens. For more information about the Press Corps program see HERE.