Showbiz legend Marsha Mason takes the helm for ‘The Roommate’

It’s not every day you get to speak with an entertainment legend.

Marsha Mason has appeared in films, television and the theater since the 1960s, racking up credits and accolades along the way. She met her ex-husband, Neil Simon, when the celebrated playwright cast her in a play in 1973 and appeared in a number of his projects. She’s been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress four times, for “Cinderella Liberty,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “Chapter Two” and “Only When I Laugh.”

But these days, the 84-year-old actress is more likely to be found behind the scenes, and most recently, in Arizona.

Mason is the director of “The Roommate,” the Jen Silverman-penned play that’s currently showing at Arizona Theatre Company at Tempe Center for the Arts through April 26. It tells the story of two very different women who find themselves cohabiating, and not always civilly.

It’s not her first outing with ATC; she directed “Act of God” for the company in 2016, along with “Chapter Two” in 2017. For “The Roommate,” she spent about five weeks in Tucson, where the ATC production ran first, then came to Tempe to get the cast and crew ready for the local performances.

Mason recently spoke with us about “The Roommate,” working with the ATC team and the benefits of acting and directing.

Phoenix New Times: Your journey with “The Roommate” began back in New York. How did you get involved with that production?

Marsha Mason: Jack O’Brien asked me to be his associate director, so I was there for the entire experience, and actually ended up having to go on for Mia (Farrow) because she caught COVID right after we opened. So we had to do something to keep the show open. I wound up going on for four performances or something till she could come back.

And then Matt August, the artistic director in Arizona – he was there opening night, we met, chatted and then he asked me if I’d be interested in directing it for his theater and I said yes. Because I had worked at Arizona years before, twice, and it was fun to go back, you know?

What drew you to “The Roommate”?

First of all, the play is beautifully written by Jen Silverman. It’s about two contrasting, very different women who are thrown together in a rather unlikely relationship, and they learn and grow from one another. It’s just wonderfully funny and moving and it’s a great way to really see about staying open to how people can be very different and yet find common ground with which to gain affection and opening up themselves to a different world because of the other person.

So I loved the journey for both women. It’s very different. And they affect each other in the most wonderful and meaningful ways, so the play is very rich in that respect. And it’s done with humor and a great sense of vulnerability and charm.

What do you hope people take away from the show?

I hope that they’ll be moved, mostly, and have a good time and also to be able to be more open to different people. I think it’s really important that we don’t isolate ourselves. And part of the charm and the wonderment of this play is two people who seemingly are isolated who come to open themselves up to another person’s experience. I always think that that’s beneficial for all of us. No matter how different we are on the surface, we’re basically all human beings, so I love that idea.

Is a play more intense when it’s got a smaller cast?

I think the intensity (comes) probably because of the opposites they represent at the beginning, and then you’re drawn in as an audience member into the relationship. In that sense it is more intense, if you will, than maybe a play that would have four or five people in it. But the approach is basically the same.

But from a directorial point of view, also what’s interesting is you have two very different personalities, two very different actors, and so you have to find a way of communicating with them and hope that that chemistry can be ignited into a really winning relationship.

It was a lot of fun because I got to sort of put my own personal stamp on it. We had a different kind of set and we had two very different people.

I knew the play well, under the direction of Jack O’Brien. It’s always fun to work with him and I always learn from him whenever I’ve worked with him. We worked together some years ago in “All My Sons” at the Roundabout (Theatre Company) and it’s always a thrill and a terrific experience to work with him and under him

But it was fun to step out on my own and find my own way of communicating with the actors and creating a set with designers and the lighting designer and sound designer. I loved all the designers we had. We got along great. And it was just a big positive experience, hopefully for everybody.

How did the Tucson audiences respond to the show?

We had a wonderful experience with them. It also says a lot about the play and how solid and strong the play is that we got all the laughter that we got in New York, we got all the touching moments and we got all the awesome “surprise” moments, so I was really, really pleased. But that really says a lot about the writing.

What do you prefer: acting or directing?

There’s wonderful things about both because they both excite me and they challenge me and they keep me creative and excited about the whole arts community. I hope I can continue to do both of them for a long time.

“The Roommate”: Through April 26. Arizona Theatre Company at Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Tickets start at $64. Visit the Arizona Theatre Company website for details and tickets.