'Quills' Review Part One: Top-Notch Production Values and a Provocative Show

This two-part review of "Quills" at the Cotuit Center for the Arts comes from guest reviewer Robert Minshall.

When most people hear the name “Marquis de Sade,” they may shake their heads so as not to conjure images of pornography, sexual pleasure through pain, nudity, and violence.  But those people may not take pause to recognize the brilliance of the Marquis’ mind or his knack for weaving literary masterpieces.  In de Sade’s many writings, he is unrestrained by morality, religion or law – and so he creates his sexual fantasies with an emphasis on violence, criminality and overwhelming blasphemy against the Catholic Church.

The black comedy Quills, written by Doug Wright and currently being performed at Cotuit Center for the Arts in Cotuit, draws directly from the man’s infamous reputation. The play adopts the turn of the century style of Parisian theatre known as “The Grand Guignol,” which vividly shows the darker side of society of the time, including murder, insanity, mutilation, rape and sexual conflict.

The Center indeed went all out to bring this show to life here on the Cape, complete with a smartly constructed set, eerie sound effects designed by Daniel Fonteneau, fabulous lighting design by Gregg Hamm and top notch special effects which, in and of themselves, were show stoppers. The producers are to be commended for putting up a show in the way it was intended and not pulling the artistic and poignant pieces that make up the depth of the play.

Kudos to Alan Trugman for his impressive original designs for the “period” costumes that help the show come to life. As you enter the theater, you can view his sketches and fabric swatches in their concept stage.  It’s a nice touch, and it builds a sense of anticipation for seeing the designs come to life.

Director Mary Arnault does a fine job staging this difficult show while keeping it appropriately provocative, thought provoking, engaging and enjoyable. Some of the missteps are those which will only get better with each performance, such as sound effects, the timing of light cues, and memorization of lines. Vocal accents are also inconsistent: many actors come off as British rather than French, as they should be.

Special mention needs to be given to Richard Archer for his magical special effects, some of which can only be described as amazing.

Quills is playing at The Cotuit Center for the Arts on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm through October 23^rd. Get your tickets early as the Center has been building their incredible reputation and selling out many of the shows they put up on their main stage.

For more information on the actors' individual performances please see Part Two of this review, coming soon!