Jen Silverman caused a sensation in late 2024 on Broadway with her near-perfectly written comedy drama The Roommate, casting Patty LuPone and Mia Farrow in the two-women show playing polar opposites in life who come to deal with aging, relationships, and life choices over the course of 100 intermission-less minutes.
The Dio’s delightful adult production casts Kathy Waugh in the LuPone part (strange New Yorker now transplanted to Iowa) and Carrie Sayer in the Farrow part (an inhibited Iowan divorcee). Both of them are exceptional actors, and what you see is filled with humor, heart, and thoughtfulness. The script is twisty, goes where you do not expect it to go, and finishes with heart. The dialogue is crisp and sparkles with wisdom amidst it’s humor.
The stunning Iowa house set design by Matthew Tomich is exceptional, as is his lighting which looks great whether scenes are set in daytime or nighttime. Steve DeBruyne directs with an eye toward creating intimate moments that captivate the audience. Norma Polk’s costumes are excellent as always, immediately drawing visual differences between the two characters, and Eileen Obradovich has filled the home with lovely stuff.
As usual, there’s a yummy meal to kick things off.
I really enjoyed this winter offering kicking off the Dio’s new season. One of my favorite things is discovering new shows that I have neither seen nor read before. The Dio is among the first in the country to present this show, and you can’t go wrong spending some time with these roommates
Very highly recommended. .
The Roommate continues at the Dio in Pinckney through March 8th. Tickets at diotheatre.com or 517-672-6009.
Mostly Musical Theatre 
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