The Cottage

 The Cottage
The Hayes Theater
August 11, 2023 

Photo courtesy of The Cottage

The Cottage is just the light, raucous, whimsical sex farce Broadway audiences need to see right now.  It is packed with improbable situations that deliver laughs and culminate in unpredictable predicaments.  Director Jason Alexander has done a stupendous job at polishing the style, rhythm, and timing in playwright Sandy Rustin’s hysterical writing, delivering a polished must-see production.

Laura Bell Bundy & Eric McCormack
Photo courtesy of The Cottage

For the past seven years, Beau (played by Eric McCormack) and Sylvia (played by Laura Bell Bundy) have been meeting once a year, to enjoy a sordid night of wild sex at Beau’s family cottage in the English Countryside.  Sylvia has decided it’s time to come clean.  She sends both her husband, Clarke (played by Alex Moffat), and Beau’s wife, Marjorie (played by Lilli Cooper), telegrams, confessing her love for Beau and their desire to be together.  Beau does not share this deep sentiment, and is not too happy when both Marjorie, who is eight months pregnant, and Clarke, who happen to be his younger brother, show up at the cottage.  Marjorie confesses that she and Clarke have been carrying on a love affair for the past seven years, and the baby she’s carrying belongs to Clarke.  Just as things are about to settle, Beau’s lover, Dierdre (played by Dana Steingold), arrives to tell him she has gotten a divorce from her husband, Robert (played by Nehal Joshi), and he is heading to the cottage to kill Beau. 

Photo courtesy of The Cottage 

That’s just the first Act.  Act II is full of twists and turns and unexpected surprises, as the couples try to make sense of their dilemmas and fulfill their emotional needs.  Playwright Sandy Rustin leaves no stone unturned and boldly delivers on every detail she sets up throughout the story.

The cast is over the top.  Their characters are distinct, and their chemistry is remarkable.  Eric McCormack is sophisticated and self-important as Beau, which plays amazingly well against  Laura Bell Bundy’s daring and sassy Sylvia.  Alex Moffat’s physical timing is perfection, which balances Lilli Cooper’s pushy and elegant portrayal of Marjorie.  Dana Steingold is cunning and perky as Dierdre, which contrasts with Nehal Joshi’s Richard, who is dark and mysterious.  Each character is driven by excessive neediness, which keeps the humor running at an impeccable pace. 

If you need a laugh, this is the show to see.  The production is beautifully designed by Paul Tate dePoo III (set), Sydney Maresca (costumes), and Jiyoun Chang (lighting).   The Cottage is playing at the Hayes Theater.  Don’t miss it!

Domenick Danza