The Cottage (play) explained

The Cottage
Setting:	Moreton-in-Marsh, 1923
Premiere:	2013
Place:	Astoria Performing Arts Center
Orig Lang:	English
Subject:	Period
Genre:	Comedy

The Cottage is a comedic play written by American playwright Sandy Rustin.^[1] The play opened on Broadway on July 24, 2023, at the Hayes Theater after first being produced by Astoria Performing Arts Center in 2013.^[2] Set in England, the play has been described as a modern take on a Noël Coward comedy.^{[3] [4]}

Synopsis

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 oh yes, love ... when Sylvia Van Kipness decides to expose her love affair to her husband and her lover's wife.

Original cast and characters

Character	Astoria^[5]	Theatre Aspen^[6]	Engeman^[7]	Broadway^[8]
	2013	2014	2015	2023
Sylvia Van Kipness	Amy Rutberg	Nancy Anderson	Rachel Pickup	Laura Bell Bundy
Marjorie	Maria Couch	Michele Ragusa	Christiane Noll	Lilli Cooper
Beau	Jason Loughlin	Spencer Plachy	Henry Clarke	Eric McCormack
Richard	Daniel Bielinski	Michael Kostroff	Brian Sgambati	Nehal Joshi
Clarke	Kevin Isola	Mark Price	James LaVerdiere	Alex Moffat
Deirdre	Hanley Smith	Bailey Frankenburg	Lilly Tobin	Dana Steingold

Production history

The play was first staged by Astoria Performing Arts Center in 2013, with Amy Rutberg portraying Sylvia. This was followed by several professional productions including by Theatre Aspen in 2014.^[9] It was next produced at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, New York in 2015. A 2017 production was held at the Barter Theatre.^{[10] [11]} In 2019, it was produced by Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.^[12]

The play opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre on July 24, 2023, after beginning previews on July 7. The Broadway production was directed by Jason Alexander and closed October 29, 2023. The set design was by Paul Tate dePoo III with costumes by Sydney Maresca.^[13]

Notes and References

1. Web site: About . SandyRustin.com . 3 August 2023.
2. Web site: Travers . Andrew . The end of the affair(s) . The Aspen Times . 3 August 2023 . 15 August 2014.
3. Web site: Collins-Hughes . Laura . How to Squeeze a Feminist Farce Into an English Country House . The New York Times . 3 August 2023 . 5 July 2023.
4. Web site: Hetrick . Adam . World-Premiere Comedy The Cottage Begins Queens Engagement Nov. 7 . Playbill . 3 August 2023 . 7 November 2013.
5. Web site: Zimmerman . Kevin . Check into 'The Cottage' for some oh so civilized laughter . QNS . 3 August 2023 . 14 November 2013.
6. Web site: The Huffington Post: 'Cottage' the Place for Summer Theatre in Aspen . Theatre Aspen . 3 August 2023 . 7 August 2014.
7. Web site: Wiener . Iris . Christiane Noll Gets Belly Laughs in The Cottage . TheaterMania . 3 August 2023 . 26 August 2015.
8. Web site: Gans . Andrew . Eric McCormack, Lilli Cooper, and Laura Bell Bundy Will Return to Broadway in The Cottage . Playbill . 3 August 2023 . 16 February 2023.
9. Web site: Gans . Andrew . Nancy Anderson, Michele Ragusa, Mark Price and More Inhabit The Cottage; Don Stephenson Directs . Playbill . 3 August 2023 . 24 July 2014.
10. Web site: Betrayal, Sex and Love Fill Barter's Production of THE COTTAGE . BroadwayWorld . 3 August 2023 . 30 May 2017.
11. Web site: Jacobson . Aileen . Review: 'The Cottage' in Northport Is a Saucy Farce . The New York Times . 3 August 2023 . 8 August 2015.
12. Web site: Kipling . Kay . Florida Studio Theatre Gets All Sexy in The Cottage . Sarasota Magazine . 3 August 2023 . 4 August 2019.
13. Web site: DiLella . Frank . Laura Bell Bundy & Lilli Cooper on Spending Their Summer in The Cottage . Broadway Direct . 3 August 2023 . 18 July 2023.