EMA REVIEW: The Cottage ***** Delicious

A Wonderfully Chaotic Cottage

By Paul Atreides

Author, Playwright, and Theatre Critic at EatMoreArtVegas.compaul-atreides.com  

What is “love?” We “love” a person, family members. We “love” this or that celebrity or object. But we also seem to grow just as weary of said celebrity or object, or grow out of love with a significant other.  Is it, perhaps, a word that is bandied about too freely? Do we jump into long-term relationships too quickly?

That is the undertone of the new, hilarious British farce, The Cottage by Sandy Ruskin, now playing at Las Vegas Little Theatre. Ruskin has created a 1920s period piece that races along without the typical slamming of doors. The dialogue is crisp and fast-paced, and the jokes keep on coming.

Under the direction of Gillen Brey, the talented cast of six actors keeps the pace with some beautiful timing. The stereotypical British “stiff upper lip” enhances the fun. There are collective double-takes by the cast that are so excellently coordinated, the laughs come quite naturally.

There’s not a bad portrayal in the bunch. Hallie Lyons (Sylvia), Jacob Moore (Beau), April Sauline (Marjorie), Jake Taylor (Clarke), Natalie Sherwood (Diedre), and Marty Weaver (Richard) play off one another without skipping a beat. They’ve managed to keep the comedy dancing right on a razor’s edge: sharp-witted and timed to perfection.

Lyons opens the play with absolute flair as she poses provocatively for Beau’s attention, and she never lets up. Moore and Taylor play off one another especially well as brothers who are in perpetual competition for everything that surrounds them: their mother’s cottage and their wives. Sauline is terrific as the 8-months pregnant Marjorie. In one scene, as she thinks she’s in labor in the middle of everything else going on and going wrong (of course!), she brought the house down. Sherwood and Weaver ply the twists and surprises well. I won’t give those away and spoil the fun.

If there are any quibbles, they would be that Lyons needs to hold for frequent laughs, but that can be a typical opening night folly due to having an audience for the first time. And there are lines, toward the end of the play, when she needs to crank up the volume to reach the back row. Sherwood does a very believable Cockney dialect, but sometimes rushes through to be unintelligible.

Production values are all top-notch. Ron Lidblom’s 1920s English cottage, lit by Ginny Adams, is exceptional right down to the paint colors and art on the walls, and Julie Horton’s costuming is pretty much spot on.

In all, this is a very entertaining show and a terrific way to open a new season. Go. Experience the wonderful chaos of The Cottage and enjoy this great respite from the current chaos of the world.

What: The Cottage

When: 7 p.m. Friday - Saturday; 2 p.m. Sundays through September 21

            2 p.m. Saturday, September 6, 13, and 20

Where: Las Vegas Little Theatre - Mainstage, 3920 Schiff Drive

Tickets: $37

702-362-7996

www.lvlt.org

Grade:  ***** Delicious

Producer: Las Vegas Little Theatre; Director: Gillen Brey; Set Design: Ron Lindblom; Lighting Design: Ginny Adams; Costumes: Julie Horton; Sound Design: Jim Braun; Stage Manager: Jim Braun & Julie Horton