The Cottage
By: Sandy Rustin
Directed by: Emily Scott Banks
Produced by: Stage West
Audience Rating: 16+
Running Time: 2 hours with one 15 minute intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Sound Level: Comfortable volume
Audio/Visuals to Prepare for: A gunshot sound effect
Reviewed by Tim Bass
Audiences will have a hard time finding a better theatergoing experience than Stage West’s regional premiere of The Cottage by Sandy Rustin. Staging a farce effectively requires precision, pace, and a cast fully willing to commit to the ridiculous, and this production accomplishes all three with gleeful abandon. From the moment the audience enters the space, before a single scandalous telegram is sent or secret exposed, the production announces itself as something special.
That immediate impact comes largely from Leah Mazur’s beautiful set design, which places the audience inside Beau and Clarke’s family cottage with just the right mixture of elegance, warmth, and theatrical possibility. Stage West consistently delivers outstanding production values, and this show is no exception. The design elements are top notch across the board, from Murell Horton’s costumes and wigs to Leann Burns’ lighting and Ryan Simón’s sound design. Together, the technical team creates a perfect playground for a gifted group of actors to spin the increasingly absurd web of romantic deception and comedic escalation.
The play takes place in one setting, but there is nothing static about it. What begins as a carefully arranged affair between Sylvia Van Kipness and Beau quickly devolves into a love polygon (much more than a triangle) of truly absurd proportions. Sylvia, played with flair and wicked playfulness by Natalie Young, has decided she is done being discreet. Her attempt to take control of her own story sets off a chain of events that spirals with delicious comic inevitability. Young is a commanding presence onstage, anchoring the production with intelligence, style, and confidence. She understands that Sylvia is not merely a catalyst for chaos; she is a woman attempting to rewrite the rules of a game that has long been written for someone else.
As Beau, Parker Davis Gray brings suave charm and a natural gift for physical comedy. Beau is a rogue and a cad, yet Gray manages the challenging feat of making him likable and even sympathetic at times. He moves through the chaos with a mix of vanity, alarm, and wounded romanticism, giving the production some of its most satisfying comic turns.
The lovers are soon joined by their respective spouses, Clarke and Marjorie, and the production only grows funnier from there. Lee George is a gifted comedic actor, and his Clarke may be the happiest of all the characters to discover just how absurd the situation has become. To say too much would spoil one of the play’s great pleasures, but George’s performance is wonderfully open-hearted, sharply timed, and enormously likable. Nicole Renee Johnson is equally strong as Marjorie, bringing a bemused elegance and steady command to a character who could easily be overshadowed by the chaos around her. Johnson instead makes Marjorie a distinctive and memorable presence whose reactions are often as funny as the revelations themselves.
The cast is rounded out by Kristen Lazarchick as Dierdre and Philip Matthew Maxwell as Richard, both of whom arrive with exactly the right energy to push the play into even more outrageous territory. Lazarchick superbly captures Dierdre’s dual nature, balancing a sweet naivete and complication with comic control. Maxwell’s arrival as Richard is a pivotal moment, setting up the show’s hilarious second act and shifting the stakes with tremendous style. He is perfectly suited to the role, using masterful comic timing and a delightfully expressive face seemingly made for live theatre. He is a performer in full command of all the actor’s tools, and he is a delight to watch.
Trying to explain the sordid relational mess these six characters create would be nearly impossible in this space, and frankly, it would be a disservice. The joy of The Cottage is watching each new revelation land, each secret unravel, and each character attempt to regain control of an uncontrollable situation. Rustin’s script has the components of classic farce, but it also has a contemporary edge, especially in the way it lets its female characters push back against the expectations placed upon them. It is fast, silly, and smart enough to know exactly what kind of theatrical mischief it is making.
Director Emily Scott Banks keeps the action moving with remarkable clarity and buoyancy. Farce can easily become frantic without being all that funny, but Banks ensures that the production never loses its shape. The timing is sharp, the physical comedy lands, and the escalating absurdity remains grounded in strong characters. The result is a rare production that feels both carefully controlled and wildly unpredictable.
From the cast, to the technical crew, to Banks’ spot-on direction, Stage West’s The Cottage is a great night of theatre. It is joyful, outrageous, beautifully designed, and extremely funny. For audiences looking for an evening of laughter, theatrical polish, and delightfully messy human behavior, this regional premiere is well worth a trip to the cottage.
To the Explorers of the Soul,
Tim Bass
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