The Cottage - Hartford Stage

The Cottage, a play about sex, betrayal, and love, is a very funny show.  Playwright Sandy Rustin has taken the well-mannered, sophisticated play perfected by Noel Coward and turned it on its head with one delicious comedic plot twist after another.  There is also one flatulent scene that rivals the great bean-eating sequence from the film Blazing Saddles. 

 

The Cottage at Hartford Stage - Jordan Sobel, Craig Wesley Divino, Kate MacCluggage, Jetta Juriansz, and Mary Cavett. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

The premise is simple.  The time – a beautiful day in June 1923.  Sylvia and Beau are reveling in their yearly tryst at the quaint cottage, lovingly rendered by Scenic Designer Tim MacKabee, owned by Beau’s sickly mother.  Sylvia is truly in love and takes steps to let certain individuals know about her devotion and intentions.  Unfortunately, this sets into motion a cascading number of revelations and scenarios that no one – both the characters on stage and the audience in the theater – sees coming. 

 

The Cottage at Hartford Stage: Kate MacCluggage and Jetta Juriansz. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

Normally, I would add a touch more about the show’s plot, but the fun of The Cottage is the constant surprises sprung on unsuspecting theatergoers.  Why spoil the fun?

 

Rustin has crafted characters that have carefully calibrated idiosyncrasies and well-defined character traits.  The women, unlike the usual drawing room farces set in the 1920’s, are strong and empowered.  All of the hilarity and shenanigans are skillfully harnessed by Director Zoë Golub-Sass, who lets the comedy slowly unwind on stage.  The rhythm of the play and the pacing are critical, and Ms. Golub-Sass adeptly guides the action, the physical comedy, and silliness with flawless aplomb.  Even some of the props take center stage, such as the variety of cigarette dispensers littered about the set. 

 

The Cottage at Hartford Stage: Mary Cavett and Jordan Sobel. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

The Cottage is a true ensemble piece. The show works so well because each actor/actress stays within their character.  The performers don’t overplay their roles or try to outshine each other.  The whole is, indeed, greater than the sum of its parts.  The acting troupe is Mary Cavett (Sylvia), Craig Wesley Divino (Clarke), Matthew J. Harris (Richard), Jetta Juriansz (Dierde), Kate MacCluggage (Majorie), and Jordan Sobel (Beau).  Even though this is a true ensemble piece, Ms. Juriansz does stand out as the daffy, naïve Dierde.

 

The Cottage at Hartford Stage: Kate MacCluggage, Craig Wesley Divino, Mary Cavett, Jetta Juriansz, and Jordan Sobel. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

The creative team, as usual for a Hartford Stage production, contributes their unique talents to fully enhance a production.  They include Costume Design Hunter Kaczorowski, who has wonderfully fashioned garb fitting for British high society of the 1920’s.  Lighting Designer Evan C. Anderson’s picturesque lighting tableau, and Sound Designers Nathan A. Roberts and Charles Coes’ off-stage crashes, and the aforementioned gassy explosion, are central to the show’s entertainment.

 

The Cottage, playing at Hartford Stage through February 8.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.