THE COTTAGE – Written by Sandy Rustin; Directed by Justin Johnson. Produced by Stagedoor Theatre (20797 Conifer Road, Conifer) through February 23. Tickets available at 303-838-0809 or stagedoortheatre.org.
The English have a name for the comedy being done up the hill in Conifer. High something – high fun? No. Hijinks comes close. But no – that’s not it. Wait – I’ve got it!! High Goofiness – that’s it! Crazy, twisted, improbable, hysterical, pure unadulterated, mountainous goofiness. A farce without the slamming doors.
The plot is so convoluted that there’s hardly any point in trying to explain it. Basically, two couples (including a pair of brothers) have traded partners unbeknownst to each other. One couple has “slipped away” to a family cottage in the country for a cozy weekend. Then the second couple (also not married to each other) arrives unexpectedly. If that wasn’t enough, two more people show up to further complicate the high jinks.
There’s a blonde bombshell (Kimberly Colisch), a very pregnant woman (Staci York), and a ditz (Emma Ackerman). The men are interchangeable – one a confident philanderer (Josh Van Riper); the second, his brother and more of the same (Ken Zinn), and the third, a whining lost soul (Clint Clark). They all deserve each other. The two who make the most sense are Marjorie with her droll sense of humor and self-awareness of how ridiculous the situation is. She and Sylvia are both caught in the middle of the battle of the brothers while remaining only inches above a catfight themselves. Dierdre enters the picture adding total confusion and a hopeless misunderstanding. The men muddle along adding to the bewilderment and changing alliances. But it’s the women who prove the strongest in establishing at least partial winners in the game. In the meantime, the audience is enjoying laugh-out-loud fun as observers of the silliness.
Justin Johnson kept a strong rein on the action and fast-paced dialogue. He kept it moving at a rapid pace without running out of control. He and his cast found all the ingredients for humor – both through dialogue and physical action. The charming sitting room in the cottage designed by Dean Arniotes and Biz Schaugaard provided a perfect background for all the shenanigans. The costumes by Jan Middleton immediately captured the class of the participants in this merry-go-round. It’s the posh making fun of the posh.
What a fun evening!! Enjoy a delicious meal at Los Garcias 3 before the show.
A WOW factor of 8.5!!