Theater Review: 'The Cottage' at Harford Stage

Review by Connecticut Critics Circle member and Naugatuck Patch Neighbor Nancy Sasso Janis

Hartford Stage is welcoming patrons to come in from the cold to enjoy their production of “The Cottage,” a play written by Sandy Rustin, who has enjoyed success with her adaptation of “Clue” and “Mystic Pizza.” The British-style farce with a twist is directed by Zoë Golub-Sass, the associate artistic director of the theater.

Artistic Director Melia Bensussen describes this play as “sunny, sharp, and gloriously funny.” She notes in the printed program that the playwright has built her work with extraordinary precision, and that bringing it to life is an “exacting endeavor.”

Bensussen adds that the humor depends on impeccable timing, which the director has helped her actors to master. “Every entrance, every exit, every line and every pause must land just right,” writes Bensussen. The cast truly works together to create “an effortless and joyous experience” that is filled with laughs and lots of smart twists and turns.

“It’s amazing how 20 minutes can completely change how one feels about a person.” - Sylvia in “The Cottage”

This play has been described as a modern take on a Noël Coward comedy, but told through an uncharacteristically lens. After playing Sorel Bliss in Coward’s “Hay Fever,” Rustin chose to shake up the way in which women were portrayed in a farce. “I wondered what would happen if I wrote in the same genre that’s steeped in this very upper crust British propriety, but I came at it from a contemporary point of view and allowed it to be a woman’s story,” she said.

Mary Cavett delightfully portrays Sylvia in her Hartford Stage debut. Cavett earned a BFA from NYU Tisch and an MFA from Juilliard and has done many Shakespearean works. Craig Wesley Divino, who holds an MFA from Brown University/Trinity Rep, makes his Hartford Stage debut in the role of her husband Clarke, the brother of Beau, a lawyer played by Jordan Sobel. Sobel makes his Hartford Stage debut in this role, and appeared in “My Name is Asher Lev” at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford.

The Equity cast members portray exaggerated characters in this romp, and all of them do well in their roles. I won’t spoil the fun by giving too much away about each of the characters.

Kate MacCluggage gets to play the wife of Beau. The actress has been part of four shows at Hartford Stage and earned a BA at Wesleyan and an MFA, NYU Grad Acting. Matthew J. Harris takes on the role of Richard, the ex-husband of the kooky Dierdre in his Hartford Stage debut. Jetta Juriansz, who was part of the excellent production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at Goodspeed Musicals, plays Dierdre to the hilt.

The scenic design by Yale School of Drama grad Tim Macabee evokes a lovely “quaint family-owned cottage in the English countryside about 90 minutes outside of London” in 1923 with a local train station. The beautifully decorated living room of the titular location also features some hidden secrets.

The costumes designed by Hunter Kaczorowski (who earned an MFA at Yale School of Drama and a Connecticut Critics Circle nomination for “Edwin Drood” at Goodspeed) are a collection of beautiful pieces, including large hats for the ladies to match their ensembles. My personal favorite was the lovely cool colors of the outfit for Marjorie topped with the largest chapeau. Wig and hair design by Tommy Kurzman, who worked on “Guttenberg: The Musical” on Broadway, evoke the time period perfectly.

The fine lighting was designed by Yale School of Drama MFA holder Evan C. Anderson and the variety of sound needs, from birdsong to a crash through a window, were designed by Nathan A. Roberts and Charles Coes. Fight Coordinator Michael Rossmy ( “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas”) has a lot to do in this farce, as did Julie Foh in her role as dialect and voice coach.

In the 2023 Broadway production, Sylvia was played by Laura Bell Bundy and Eric McCormack played Beau. Jason Alexander directed.

“The Cottage” runs two hours and five minutes and includes one intermission. Experience the outlandish drama for yourself! Get tickets at hartfordstage.org/the-cottage.