Charis Sellick as Sylvia in “The Cottage” at Stage Door Theatre. (All photos by Casey Gardner Ford)
Where better than a cottage in the English countryside for a romantic getaway filled with rest, relaxation and scandalous reveals? The Cottage, a bawdy comedy running through October 19 at Stage Door Theatre, brings us inside one of these picturesque retreats for an evening of campy drama.
Benjamin DeWitt Sims, left, and Charis Sellick as illicit lovers Sylvia and Beau.
The play opens on Sylvia (Charis Sellick) and Beau (Benjamin DeWitt Sims), a pair of married philanderers hiding out in Beau’s family cottage. For seven years, they have allowed themselves one night a year to give in to their desires away from their respective, loveless marriages. But when Sylvia decides that she wants more than an annual fling, she sends out telegrams to both of their spouses, setting off a farcical chain of events that reveals she is not the only one who has been keeping secrets.
Sandy Rustin’s script is, first and foremost, a farce in the vein of Noel Coward. The characters are exaggerated, and the dialogue is rife with acerbic wit. However, it is also something of a slow burn, taking its time for the humor to really ramp up. It’s funny — just not quite as funny as it wants to be. However, as more and more characters pile into the cottage, Rustin’s witty repartee starts to flow more naturally.
There is also a mystery element to Rustin’s script, but most of the twists are easily predicted if you’re paying attention. Rather, it is the character relationships that end up becoming the crux of the story, providing organic chemistry as well as moments of genuine introspection.
These relationships are nicely rendered by the talented cast, who find plenty of opportunities for ad libs and side conversations throughout. Kat Stoneback’s Deidre has some of the best gags, while Tori Thompson’s Marjorie is queen of the sarcastic aside and Sims’ Beau is both charismatic and easy to dislike. However, the thematic arc of the play rests squarely on Sellick as Sylvia, who deftly takes us on a journey from rolling our eyes to empathizing with her.
Kat Stoneback’s Deidre has some of the best comedic moments.
Much of the play’s success rides on these performances and the strength of the script, as Damian Lockhart’s directing unfortunately does The Cottage few favors. He fails to imbue the production with the kind of snappy pacing a farce like this needs, and, while the tempo improves significantly as it goes, one feels ready for the play to end about five minutes before it does. His direction is also tonally confused, adding in moments of over-the-top, presentational comedy that are out of sync with the rest of the play.
Lockhart does do an excellent job of utilizing the entire stage, and it’s a good thing because scenic designer Alex Whittenberg has provided a lovely setting for the characters to play. The cottage is not only pleasing to look at; it is decked out with details that make it feel like someone’s actual summer home.
Costume designer J. Faye Manselle also does strong work, particularly on Sylvia and Deirdre’s costumes. The pregnancy belly she puts on Marjorie, however, looks just slightly off. Karen Spicer’s wigs are mostly good, particularly Deidre’s. There is also extensive dialect work done by Amee Vyas, which ranges in quality but is mostly solid — although a baffling decision is made toward the end to have one character gradually shift from an English accent to a Scottish one for no apparent reason.
There are few opportunities for Lindsey Sharpless to show off her lighting design aside from some dimming of the lights, but there is a fascinating moment at the play’s end when the lights go down and she manages to turn the sconce lights into a halo framing a now-liberated character.
The true strength of The Cottage lies somewhere between comedy and character study. It riffs on the absurdity of its situations while interrogating what it means to be in love and how we substitute romantic love for self-love. It doesn’t do either of these flawlessly — just well enough to make for the production fulfilling experience. Even if it doesn’t turn out to be the perfect love affair, it makes for an amusing weekend getaway.
Where & When
The Cottage is at Stage Door Theatre through October 19. Tickets start at $32.
5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturg. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.
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