#also she'd be so wrong for the role just purely from a physicality standpoint but i can't stop thinking about bernadette as sharon

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

The Roommate

September 5, 2024 | Broadway | Booth Theatre | Evening | Play | Original | 1H 40M

I entered the theatre with no expectations. I laughed, I cried, I had such a visceral experience that I had to come right back home and write out this review instead of putting it off for a week. All I knew beforehand was that Patti LuPone played a vegan lesbian in a Stockard Channing wig. Let me give you a rundown: Robyn (Patti) moves out to Iowa from The Bronx to live with a roommate she's never met named Sharon (Mia Farrow). Turns out, Robyn may or may not have a criminal past. Just your average scammer, con artist, soft drug dealer. Y'know, the usual. But she's leaving it all behind to start anew in Iowa. Well, stick-in-the-mud Sharon has nothing else going on in her dull little life, and she's very eager to learn the trade. Soon, these two roommates who have nothing in common are running a cute little business selling pot brownies to Sharon's book club. And it's all fun and games until Sharon suddenly has her gay awakening. And I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't fall for a mean criminal lesbian?

So, this is an early preview. The show doesn't officially open until next week, and there are still definitely some kinks that need ironing out. I actually think Patti was the weaker link here. She started off pretty stiff and gradually got better, but she has room for a lot of improvement. I don't really believe her as a lesbian, and I'd be curious to know if she has any queer female friends. I know she's got plenty of gay men in her circle as all Broadway Divas do, but what about the women she could model off of? As for Sharon, I didn't expect to be so charmed by Mia Farrow's character. She's really endearing, and just great in the role. Her character arc is catering to me specifically. A woman in her sixties abruptly discovering her latent homosexuality? Sign me the fuck up. Plotwise, it's just fun. There are a few lines here and there that come off awkwardly, but that might improve with time. It's not a play that's going to change the world, but it's one that I need to see again and again.

Oh, and by the way, I watched Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow slow-dance and kiss in a kitchen. And yeah, I'm kind of giddy about it.

Verdict: You Can Pry This Show Out of My Cold Dead Hands

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