by Suzanne Daub
Theater has the unique power to touch your soul, stir your emotions, expand your mind, and broaden your understanding of the world. But sometimes all you really want is to escape reality, and theater can help you do that too.
Theater Workshop of Nantucket has opened their 69th season with a riotously funny, fast-paced farce about a romantic rendezvous gone awry.
Set in a cottage in the English countryside in 1923, the play opens with a once-a-year tryst between Sylvia Van Kipness and her lover Beau—a treasured respite from reality until Sylvia, who decides she’s ready for more, confesses to having sent telegrams to both their spouses. What follows is a chaotic cascade of revelations, confrontations, and twists that hurl the audience into a whirlwind of surprises and comedy.
The Cottage is a satirical exploration of fidelity and identity, lampooning romantic entanglements and questioning societal expectations, with a feminist wink at traditional gender roles.
Each character is delightfully flawed. Sylvia (Ellyn Heald) is bold and manipulative; Beau (David Morton) charming but dim. Respective spouses Clarke and Marjorie (played by Abe Goldfarb and Drew Springer Miller) bring their own surprises, and Dierdre and husband Richard (Cathryn Wake and Atticus Shaindlin) crash in with secrets of their own.
The acting is expressive and engaging, bringing an infectious energy to the stage and making every minute of the two-hour production enjoyable. Each cast member’s impeccable comedic timing and lively antics generate genuine laughter. Heald and Goldfarb react to the situations with vivid facial expressions that are as funny as the spoken lines and bring the comedy to life. Every punchline hits its mark—whether it’s yet another off-hand comment about Beau’s robe or the cottage that evokes a smile and chuckle or one of the many sly one-liners and the absurdly funny physical humor that sends ripples of laughter through the audience. The sharper-edged wit is tempered with heart.
Under expert direction of TWN’s Justin Cerne, the play moves seamlessly from one hilarious scene to the next, with a rhythm that keeps the audience hooked from start to finish. The director’s keen eye for timing and detail enhances the play’s humorous elements, making the cleverly executed production lively and entertaining.
TWN calls their production “a deliciously naughty night” (there’s even a note in the playbill that states “The First Congregational Church has no responsibility for, nor control over the content of this production.”) What would have been risque in the 1920s, when the play is set, evokes more giggles than blushing among audiences.
Strong cast, impeccable direction, and flawless production combine to make The Cottage an evening of fun that will keep you smiling even as you return to reality.
The Cottage is on the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket’s stage in Bennett Hall through June 21. Tickets are available at theatrenantucket.org
