It's the summer of Noël Coward in #TCTheater, and after the long hard winter we had, we deserve some summer escapist comedies. Last month, Theatre in the Round brought us the ghostly and hilarious
Blithe Spirit, about a man who is haunted by his ex-wife, much to his current wife's dismay. The Guthrie is about to open
Private Lives, about exes honeymooning with their new spouses. And Gremlin Theatre is throwing their hat into the ring with a new play that,
according to Wikipedia, is "described as a modern take on a Noël Coward comedy."
The Cottage is a straight up farce that is definitely reminiscent of Coward's plays, but since it was written by a modern female playwright (Sandy Rustin,* one of the most produced playwrights in America last season, in part because of
her adaptation of the movie Clue) it gives a bit more agency to the female characters, with an atypical ending for a romantic comedy. Gremlin's regional premiere production of
The Cottage, that premiered on Broadway just a few years ago, is perfectly cast, impeccably designed, and utterly delightful from start to finish.
Playing now through August 2.
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Sylvia (Sarah Malfara) and Beau (Sasha Andreev)
(photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography)
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The play takes place entirely at a charming English cottage one morning in 1923, where married (to other people) lovers Sylvia (Sarah Malfara) and Beau (Sasha Andreev) have just spent their one night a year together. But Sylvia has decided that they should leave their spouses and be together every day, and unbeknownst to Beau she has sent telegrams (the 1920s equivalent of a text) declaring their love to their spouses, who soon show up at the cottage. It turns out that Sylvia's husband Clarke (Corey DiNardo) is Beau's brother, and Beau's wife Marjorie (Shana Eisenberg) has secrets of her own. And Beau has another mistress, Dierdre (Mira Davis), who has just divorced her potentially murderous husband Richard (Chance Carroll). Hijinks, mayhem, possibly unloaded guns, and fart jokes ensue, until everyone leaves the cottage, except for the one left standing.
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Dierdre (Mira Davis), Beau (Sasha Andreev), and Clarke
(Corey DiNardo, photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography) |
Brian Balcom directs the play, and get consistently over-the-top farcical performances from this terrific six-person cast, with excellent comedic timing. Everyone is so perfect in their role, with great comedic choices, all in charming posh English accents (with help from dialect coach Keely Wolter). They really are a dream team, and keep the comedy briskly moving through the two-hour runtime (including intermission).
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Sylvia (Sarah Malfara) with Marjorie (Shana Eisenberg)
and Deirdre (Mira Davis, photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography) |
A realistic English cottage has been constructed on Gremlin's stage, even somehow achieving stairs to a second story in the intimate space. Wood paneling on the walls and the four posts that surround the space, historic photos and art on the walls, a large bay window that looks out on a brightly lit courtyard, period furniture, and lots of teacups, drinks, and food that actually gets eaten contribute to the realism of the setting. Characters are dressed in period clothing, sharp three-piece suits for the men, lovely dresses for the women. (Set and lighting design by Carl Schoenborn, sound design by Aaron Newman, costume design by A. Emily Heaney, prop design by Sarah Bauer.)
