Love and freedom can be found in the most unlikely of affairs.
It’s officially summer in New York City, when the dew point rises well above tolerable levels and windowsill AC units begin dripping onto your new West Elm rug. To beat the heat on a Friday evening, a friend and I grabbed drinks at sunset and went to see The Cottage, a new comedy by Sandy Rustin and directed by Jason Alexander.
Entering the small, crowded Hayes Theater on 44th Street, a large, elaborate mural of a picturesque English cottage immediately confronted us in the early 20th century. Likely located on the outskirts of Andover, or Amesbury, or some other small village, the titular structure seems idyllic on its surface, but on closer inspection, reveals subtle indiscretions — a bra slung over the branch of a mighty oak, a hookah lying in the whispering grass, and even the public fornication of not one but two pairs of animals (not to mention snogging kittens).
It’s the summer of 1923, and as the show begins this large fresco yields way to Sylvia (Laura Bell Bundy), lounging in the foyer of the enormous, immaculately designed hideaway, while her beau Beau (Eric McCormack) showers, presumably post-coitus. Amid her head-over-heels love affair, Sylvia (or, as Beau refers to her, Tulip) sprawls, adjusts, cranes, and twists herself into the optimal position to be reaffirmed and rejoiced by her paramour. She reveals she’s so in love with Beau that she’s sent two telegrams — one to his wife, and one to her husband — that notify their lovers of their secret affair. And so comedy ensues.
Over the next two hours, as one lover after the next joins the congregation of the cottage, we slowly learn of a double — no, triple — love affair. Triangles within triangles, brothers against brothers, the fates playing their ugly games with the heartstrings of foolish, covetous mortals, all with zest, zeal, and the zigzagging twists one could expect of middle schoolers — though this time, with mortal consequences. In the end, when the dust of the cockfight is settled, there are clear winners and losers, but it can be certain that the audience profits the most from this hilarious, fast-paced, brilliant new comedy.
They made the grace of The Cottage possible through all-in performances from a star-studded cast. At first glance from the billing, it may seem to audiences that the protagonist of the piece is McCormack as “perhaps the most handsome man in all of Britain,” but the hidden hero (and the gem of the show) is Bundy’s Sylvia, a lovely and rash romantic who conquers the classical theme of damsel in distress and comes out on top as the victor of the slapstick scrabble. Show-stopping performances from Clarke (Alex Moffat) and Dierdre (Dana Steingold) had our Friday cohort laughing hysterically, and I’m betting these two eccentric and loveable actors will grace our stages for many years to come. Director Jason Alexander, long a friend to comedy, has made a memorable directorial debut on Broadway and can be credited with the flawless pacing and comedic timing they would starve such a show without.
However, while great performances make the writing come alive, the beating heart of the show is in the marvelous script created by Sandy Rustin. Rooted in the fast-paced, metropolitan style of comedy found in her long-running adaptation of Clue, Rustin brings a strong voice that straddles the line between farce and substance. Beneath the one-liners and running gags finding new and impossible places to hide cigarettes, though, The Cottage maintains a deeper soul, played out by long-past ghosts dialoguing on true love. What is it? Is it impossible to find our soulmate, or must we search the earth for our other half? Can love be half-assed, or is it all-or-nothing? These are the important questions asked by Rustin, perennial and relevant, but never achieving an answer, hidden under a well-constructed veneer of sex and violence and between messy, immature, and hilarious people.
If you’re looking for a reprieve from the heat and humidity of New York this week, The Cottage is an excellent way to lighten your evening and your life.
The Cottage premieres July 24 and runs through October 29 at the Hayes Theater in Manhattan.
Running time is approximately 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.
More information can be found at thecottageonbroadway.com.