Stage Review - The Roommate (ArtsWest)
Stage Review - The Roommate
Presented By: ArtsWest - Seattle, WA
Show Run: September 25 - October 19, 2025
Date Reviewed: Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (Preview)
Run Time: 90 minutes (no intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Sometimes the simplest premise can reveal the most about human nature, and The Roommate, now on stage at ArtsWest through October 19, is a perfect example. Written by Jen Silverman and directed by Kathryn Van Meter, this two-hander explores reinvention, regret, and the search for connection in middle age — themes that land with both humor and honesty thanks to a production that understands the importance of quiet moments as much as the bursts of laughter.
Sarah Harlett plays Sharon, a recently divorced woman from Iowa whose life has grown too quiet for comfort. When she takes in a new roommate, she’s simply hoping to fill the silence — but what she gets instead is a jolt of life she didn’t expect. Opposite her is Mari Nelson as Robyn, a vegan, ex–New Yorker with a mysterious past and a penchant for reinvention. The two performers build a wonderful rhythm, their energy feeding off one another as the friendship deepens and Sharon’s curiosity turns into transformation.
Sarah is superb in the role of Sharon, a woman on the edge of rediscovery. She finds subtle humor in the awkwardness of a woman who’s been out of practice living her own life, while also uncovering the character’s vulnerability as she learns to take risks. Mari brings a sly confidence and emotional intelligence to Robyn — the kind of woman who has seen too much and knows how to reinvent herself in order to survive. Together, they turn the rural setting into an emotional battleground, one filled with moments of warmth, suspicion, and revelation.
Director Kathryn Van Meter lets the play breathe, allowing pauses to settle and words to resonate. The pacing feels deliberate, like a conversation between two people learning to trust each other. The dialogue delivery between the two is fluid and natural, often overlapping as one steps on the other’s thoughts mid-sentence. It gives their exchanges a sense of reality, particularly early on when Robyn’s evasiveness contrasts with Sharon’s nervous curiosity. Mari plays younger than her age, her energy buoyant even in avoidance, while Sarah’s Sharon initially carries herself older than her years, trapped in her post-marital bubble. As the story progresses, she grows lighter, her confidence emerging in tandem with the character’s transformation while Mari’s transformation is about a relaxation of the wall she’s built up, but she can only allow herself so much freedom before her old habits creep in, predominantly as a way to protect herself.
The design work complements the tone beautifully. Devin Petersen’s scenic design feels authentic and intentionally nostalgic — the color palette resembles an early 1980s kitchen, with appliances and furniture that fit that motif perfectly. There’s a clever sense that the outside of the house has been sliced away, allowing the audience to peer directly into Sharon’s private world. A door leading to the outside porch becomes an effective storytelling tool, emphasizing the separation between interior and exterior lives. It’s used frequently to punctuate emotional moments, though one could imagine an added door frame giving those scenes — particularly the ones begging for a door slam — an even stronger punch.
Jacob Viramontes’ lighting design and Evan Mosher’s sound design are both standouts in subtlety. Scene changes are underscored by smart, mood-setting music choices, and Sarah’s movement in slow motion during these transitions adds an intriguing layer to the passage of time. The sound transitions from onstage moments to auditorium-filling ambience are seamless, and the lighting’s soft gradients suggest emotional evolution, culminating in the final moments as the glow of morning overtakes the stage.
Behind the scenes, the technical execution is sharp. Stage Manager Leila Cheung and Property Master Robin Macartney ensure that every piece is deliberate in its inclusion in the piece and precisely where it needs to be as time advances from scene to scene — a deceptively simple but crucial feat in a play so rooted in realism.
The ArtsWest production of Jen Silverman’s The Roommate is engaging in its mix of humor and melancholy. It’s funny, but not in a sitcom way — the laughs come from recognition, from watching people our own age make mistakes we’ve made or wish we had the courage to make. And by the end, there’s a sense that the show’s title isn’t just about who shares a house, but about the people we allow into our hearts and the versions of ourselves we choose to live with.
The Roommate runs on stage at ArtsWest in West Seattle through October 19. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.artswest.org/.
Photo credit: John McLellan
