Jen Silverman’s play “The Roommate” tells a story of an unlikely friendship between two very different middle-aged women, a recently divorced empty nester from Iowa named Sharon and a vegan lesbian from New York named Robyn. The show explores how these two women navigate their differences and form a friendship, which leads them both the explore their identities and reinvent themselves.
Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) will produce the show in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art Sunday, March 15, to Saturday, April 4, and in Tempe at the Tempe Center for the Arts Saturday, April 11, to Sunday, April 26.
The “Roommate” has a similar premise as TV shows such as “The Odd Couple” and “Grace and Frankie.” The playwright was inspired by her future mother-in-law’s experiences living with a new roommate, who inspired her to change up her routine and try new hobbies.
The ATC production stars Sara Gettelfinger as Robyn and Angela Pierce as Sharon.
Gettlefinger has appeared on Broadway and national tours for shows such as “Water for Elephants,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Nine,” “A Free Man of Color,” “The Addams Family,” “The 101 Dalmatians Musical,” “Seussical,” “The Boys from Syracuse” and “Fosse.”
Pierce has been onscreen in “The Blacklist,” “Law & Order,” “Blue Bloods,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “30 Rock,” “Medium” and “Delinquent,” along with doing multiple Broadway productions.
The production is being directed by Marsha Mason, a four-time Academy-Award-nominated actress for “Cinderella Liberty,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “Chapter Two” and “Only When I Laugh.”
She has also appeared on television in “Frasier,” “The Middle,” “Grace and Frankie” and “Madam Secretary.”
She has been on Broadway in shows such as “The Good Doctor,” “Impressionism,” “Steel Magnolias” and “The Night of the Iguana.”
For ATC, Mason has previously directed “An Act of God” and “Chapter Two.”
Mason already has connections with “The Roommate.” She served as associate director for the Broadway production alongside Tony-award-winning director Jack O’Brien. She stepped onstage for a few performances, starring opposite Patti LuPone when actress Mia Farrow was ill.
Mason went on last minute, which she said was scary. She found that audiences were very receptive.
“That kind of a surprise element to an event, it creates a special energy. The audience was so beautifully supportive and wonderful. Patti LuPone and I had a great time, and we worked very well together. We have a similar kind of feeling for the theater. It turned out to be a really wonderful experience for me and I think for the audiences,” Mason said.
Although Mason knew LuPone from the theater scene, that was the first time the two of them had worked together. It was also her first time working with Farrow, although they knew each other.
“There was this lovely connection that Jack, Mia and I had. We actually had Thanksgivings together in the past. We shared a wonderful family Thanksgiving with Stephen Sondheim and a bunch of folks who lived in Connecticut…. Out of the experience, Mia and I have become friends, and it was Patti who really gave Mia the confidence to do the show because she hadn’t done a play in quite a while. It was just remarkable the way Patti supported Mia and made her feel comfortable and confident,” Mason said.
Mason wanted the chance to revisit the show and bring her own twist to it.
“I have my own designers and my own take based on the two actors, Angela and Sara…That’s the most wonderful part about the theater is that when you get to either direct or act in different shows, each show has its own unique and original presentation. The road, the journey, the process of taking it to the audience is always very unique, depending on the people that you’re working with and for. It’s very exciting because it means that each experience is unique and special, and you learn something every single time you do it,” Mason said.
Mason said that with plays like “The Roommate,” there is a closeness between the cast and crew.
“Every person is necessary to the end result. You create a family. Sometimes, the family is small, and sometimes the family is larger. It’s always very unique and original. That always intrigues me. I would get bored if I was doing the same thing with the same results and the same input all the time,” Mason said.
Gettelfinger worked with O’Brien on “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” so Mason was already familiar with her work. Mason and Pierce previously worked together at Bucks County Playhouse.
Mason was part of the casting process. She said for this show, it was important to find two actresses who could really carry the show and bring to life the two characters.
“You want somebody who’s talented and professional and has experience. They’re two really large roles, and it rests on their shoulders. You look for the truth in their work, whatever is authentic and unique to them. Then, you look at what their qualities might be, in terms of their own unique energy, vibrancy, shyness or confidence… Since I decided to cast Sharon first, I had to look for a strong opposite to that. These are two very specifically different women with different experiences and different backgrounds, and they inevitably change each other,” Mason said.
Much of the action in the show takes place in Sharon’s home, in the kitchen and dining room area.
As they interact with each other, Robyn and Sharon help the other woman to transform in unexpected ways.
“It’s about breaking open into new worlds. They affect each other emotionally and create possibilities for each of them separately to have another life, a fuller life, a happier life,” Mason said.
The show has a lot of humorous moments. Mason said that often, doing a comedy show can be more challenging than a drama.
“Comedic timing is special thing. I don’t know that you can teach it. You either have it, or you don’t. It’s knowing how to land a line, how to hold, how to undercut, how to top… It is a gift. Some people have it naturally,” Mason said.
The two actresses have several monologues, which are presented through one-sided conversations with their adult children.
“You help guide them through it so that they feel confident at what they’re doing. I think the most basic part is do I believe in what they’re doing? That’s always a key. The other is just finding the rhythm in the material. Writers have their own rhythm, and it’s very important to know what that rhythm is. You can help them to find the rhythm like a conductor guides an orchestra,” Mason said.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Production of “The Roommate”
WHEN: Sunday, March 15 to Saturday, April 4
WHERE: Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Avenue, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $33
INFO: atc.org
Arizona Theatre Company’s Production of “The Roommate”
WHEN: Saturday, April 11 to Sunday, April 26
WHERE: Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe
COST: Tickets start at $33
INFO: atc.org