(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre presents The Cottage by Sandy Rustin across two weekends from April 10-19, 2026. This a romantic and (not quite) murderous comedy of manners. Fate, identity and marriage are called into question as a surprising, hilarious web of secrets unravels.
Sylvia and Beau find themselves in an English countryside cottage for their yearly rendezvous, and Sylvia knows this time it will be the beginning of their new life together. But when Beau demurs on a shared future, and their spouses arrive at the cottage, she realizes that this home-away-from-home is a refuge for determining a new path forward.
With a tip of the hat to Noël Coward and sex comedies of the past, The Cottage offers a perfect showcase for six actors with endless laughs, hilarious twists, daring physical comedy, and a happy ending for lovers everywhere.
The cast includes: Justin Jajalla (Richard), Viv Tyndall (Clarke), Ashley Widmer (Sylvia), Noelle S. LeBlanc (Marjorie), Colleen Gilgan (Dierdre), and Edward Garland (Beau).
Performances take place Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30pm; and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. The theater is located at 515 DeMott Lane in Somerset, New Jersey.
The production team includes: Tina Barone - Director; Jessica Vaccaro - SM/Asst. Director; Matthew Kutoloski - Sound Designer/Operator; Christian Confalone - Lighting Designer; Alison Bender - Properties; Dan Seitz - Set Designer/Construction; Justine Giachetti - Costume Designer; Kevin Bryant - Light Operator; and Rosey Arriaga - Asst. Stage Manager.
The Cottage premiered on Broadway at the Hayes Theater on July 24, 2023 after first being produced by Astoria Performing Arts Center in 2013. The Broadway cast included Eric McCormack as Beau and Laura Bell Bundy as Sylvia.
Sandy Rustin is an actor and writer named one of the most produced playwrights in the country by American Theatre Magazine (’25-’26). Her adaptation of the film Clue has enjoyed over 5,000 productions worldwide (Clue/Cluedo) and is currently touring the U.S. and Australia.
Sandy made her Broadway debut with her feminist farce, The Cottage (named one of the best plays of the year by Entertainment Weekly). Her concert adaptation of Dear World for NY City Center Encores! was a NY Times Critic’s Pick, and her adaptation of Mystic Pizza premiered in ’25 and the cast album was recently released. Her play with music Almost Like a Dance is in development with Grammy winner Edie Brickell, and her play The Suffragette’s Murder, a winner of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and a Henry Award nominee, premiered at The Denver Center for Performing Arts in 2025. Her musical Always Something There premiered in Chicago at The Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre in 2025. Other Works: Loch Ness (upcoming world premiere), Jolly Holiday; Celebrating Disney’s Broadway Hits (Paper Mill Playhouse), I Married an Angel (NY City Center Encores!), American Girl Live (National Tour), Rated P… For Parenthood (off-Broadway, West Side Theatre), Elijah, Struck, and more.
A Northwestern University graduate, Sandy is a member of ASCAP, SAG, AEA and The Dramatists Guild, is a member of Florida Studio Theatre’s Playwright Collective, and is represented by UTA and Kaplan/Perrone. With her family, Sandy created the Jerry Kraut Memorial Fund. She serves on the Board of the NJ non-profit Project Write Now and on the Advisory Board of the new musical incubator The Bridge. She lives in Maplewood, NJ with her husband and two sons.
