A North Shore playwright’s play – which ran on Broadway last year—is being
performed in her home state for the first time.
“The Cottage” by Sandy Rustin premiers at The Citadel Theatre in Wake Forest
Sept. 14-Oct. 13. It is directed by Jack Hickey of Skokie.
Rustin, who lives in the suburbs of New York City, grew up in Glenview, attended
New Trier High School and graduated from Northwestern University. She wrote
the adaptation of the cult-hit film “Clue” for the stage. It’s been produced more
than 4,000 times worldwide.
“The Cottage” premiered in 2013 and came to The Hayes Theatre on Broadway for a limited run in July 2023 starring Eric McCormick and Laura Bell Bundy, with Jason Alexander directing. It finished its run in October 2023.
“Anytime anybody has any interest in producing my work, I always think it’s
wonderful, but of course it’s especially wonderful to know that the folks on the
North Shore of Chicago had an interest in doing this play, so that’s awesome,”
Rustin said.
Hickey was asked to direct the play, read it and loved it.
“I think it’s pretty important to build the production from the bottom up with the
cast and the company and the set we have,” he said. “That’s absolutely what I’ve
done.”
“The Cottage” is about three different couples who may or may not be having
assignations with other couples, he said, noting it’s a drawing room, romantic, sex farce, which usually means hiding from husbands or hiding from wives.
“It’s a lot of fun and it’s very sexy,” he commented.
He added, “It’s a British comedy and there are certainly elements of British comedy that are specific to the writing and to a hundred years of writings of farce,” he said. “It’s not unlike an Oscar Wilde farce or a Noel Coward farce. Sandy Rustin has done a fantastic job writing a play … it’s set in 1923, so its very true to the period, but the way she has written it makes it very accessible to the modern-day audiences.”
Rustin noted that when she studied at Northwestern, she was in a production of ‘Hayfever. ’
“I loved the world Noel Coward created. I loved the heightened language and the style of it,” she said.
When she sat down to write a new play in 2013, she set herself with the task of
writing in the style and world of Coward but more female-focused, she said.
“So often in Noel Coward plays, the female characters are there in service of the
male characters or through the male lens,” she said. “I wanted to know if I could
create something in that same world, in a similar style, but where it was the women
in the center of the story. That is how ‘The Cottage’ was born.”
From Hickey’s understanding, The Citadel is the first theater in the United States
to perform “The Cottage” after it has been on Broadway. It’s no extra pressure, he
said.
“I approach a play like I would approach any play, whether it’s been done 20 times
or it’s never been done before,” he said. “My philosophy is we want to illuminate
the play. We want to bring out the best in all the actors to let the play live in front
of an audience and for the audience to be able to enjoy it.”
And enjoy it they will, Hickey predicts.
“I can say that unequivocally. They’re going to have fun,” he said. “It’s well-
written.”
The cottage of the title is in the British countryside, about an hour outside London, he said.
“The idea of a cottage in England in 1923 is not the same as a cabin in the woods,”
he said. “This cabin has been in the family for 100 years. It’s a beautiful, cozy
cottage.”
The set and costumes reflect this, he said.
Although it’s a play about extramarital affairs and flirtations, there’s no nudity.
“The most risqué are kisses and hugs. There’s nothing R-rated in the play at all.”
Rustin hopes “The Cottage” will be produced in theaters all over the country, she
said.
“My hope is that when audiences see this play, that they have a great night at the
theater, that they laugh a lot and there’s something to think about to take away as
well.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter.
‘The Cottage’
When: Sept. 14-Oct. 13.
Performance times: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m.
Sundays Sept. 14-Oct. 13. Additional performances are at 1 p.m. Sept. 24 and Oct. 9.
Previews: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11-12.
Where: Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest
Tickets: $40-$45; $20 previews
Information: 847-735-8554, ext. 1; citadeltheatre.org
