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A DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE TITLE
Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m
Sandy Rustin
The Cottage is a romantic and (not quite) murderous comedy of manners. Fate, identity and marriage are called into question as a surprising, hilarious web of secrets unravels.
Image: 2023 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)
Sylvia and Beau find themselves in an English countryside cottage for their yearly rendezvous, and Sylvia knows this time it will be the beginning of their new life together. But when Beau demurs on a shared future, and their spouses arrive at the cottage, she realizes that this home-away-from-home is a refuge for determining a new path forward and decides to expose her love affair to her husband and her lover’s wife. With a tip of the hat to Noël Coward and sex comedies of the past, The Cottage offers a perfect showcase for six actors with endless laughs, hilarious twists, daring physical comedy and a happy ending for lovers everywhere. The true meaning of fate, identity and marriage are called into question as a surprising, hilarious web of secrets unravels in this ridiculous, potentially murderous, uncharacteristically feminist 1923 British tale of sex, betrayal and love.
The Cottage premiered on Broadway at the Hayes Theater on 24 July 2023 after first being produced by Astoria Performing Arts Center in 2013. The Broadway cast included Eric McCormack as Beau and Laura Bell Bundy as Sylvia.
SYLVIA – A lovely and rash romantic BEAU – Perhaps the best-looking man in Britain MARJORIE – Eight months pregnant, pragmatic and a tad spicy CLARKE – A distinguished gent with a lover’s spirit DIERDRE – An awfully pretty, sometimes wise nincompoop RICHARD – A murderous yet gentle soul
Theatre companies should strive to support a cast and crew of diverse theatre workers. This diversity includes, but is not limited to, gender identities, ethnic and racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, body types, ages and ability.
The script maps out suggested physicality in some cases, but casts are encouraged to embrace the style and find their own moments of doors swinging, cigarette lighting and a general air of farce while maintaining a truthful intention throughout. Characters are often on separate wavelengths, experiencing the same moment in dramatically different ways. Discovering the abrupt beat changes is all part of the fun. Some are clearly marked, others are to be found as you go.
Standard British dialect should be adhered to. Actresses playing Dierdre (Deer-drah) have the liberty of slowly descending into a lower-class dialect (Deer-dree).
A cottage in the countryside village of Moreton-in-Marsh, England. June 1923.
“Laugh out loud!” – The New York Times
“Positively delightful… frothy and effervescent.” – TheaterMania
“A naughty romp… Amid the old-fashioned trappings, Rustin nestles a welcome modern sensibility to the plot’s skirmishes of the sexes.” – Time Out New York
“Sidesplitting screwball comedy… The Cottage is a fresh and fiercely fun play that’s firing on all cylinders with Rustin’s excellent script.” – Entertainment Weekly
The Cottage on Broadway – Trailer
What is The Cottage? – Broadway Promo
The Cottage – Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Trailer
The Cottage – Florida Studio Theatre Teaser
The Cottage at Barter Theatre – Audience Reactions
Sandy Rustin is an actor and writer named one of the most produced playwrights in the country by American Theatre Magazine (’25-’26). Her adaptation of the film Clue has enjoyed over 5,000 productions worldwide (Clue/Cluedo) and is currently touring the U.S. and Australia.
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