Secret affairs and incidents in a charming era
Sylvia and Beau, who are both married, have spent the night together again. Sylvia decides to send a telegram to her own husband and Beau’s wife to reveal their secret affair and leave her husband.
It doesn’t take long for the betrayed spouses to arrive, and soon more unexpected guests enter the door. The tangle of surprising secrets begins to unravel.
With the help of farcical comedy, Buzz and Adjustment delves into questions about marriage, identity, roles in relationships and the impact of fate on love.
“When you put all of these in the same gimmick bag and shake them up, you get a great network that creates really comical situations,” says director Sari Siikander.
The Cottage, written by Sandy Rustin, premiered on Broadway in 2023.
Relationship twists and turns in an era
The events take place in a luxurious English country mansion in 1923, but the themes of the play are timeless. In Siikander’s opinion, the people of the 1920s and we have a surprising amount in common – especially when it comes to human relationships.
“On the other hand, because the play is in an epoch, the characters’ attitudes towards infidelity provide a great comedic starting point,” Siikander says.
The buzz and adjustment play with the idea of whether love can be controlled or whether it happens to people regardless of their will.
The protagonists try to make independent decisions in their relationships, but their choices lead to unexpected and even ironic consequences.
The play also questions the traditional notion of marriage as a lifelong and immutable institution. “Buzz and adjustment could well be done with the subtitle: is marriage a commitment or a prison?” Siikander says.
She hopes that in addition to entertaining, the play will make the audience think about their own love life. “It would be wonderful if couples came to see them and then they were like, shall we go for a drink or go home to have sex?” Siikander laughs.
A new kind of farce
In many classic farces, the female characters mainly support the men’s stories, but in the play Sutinaa ja säätöä they are at the centre of the events.
“Women are actors and take whomever they want, men are a bit seducible,” Siikander describes. “This is a far cry from the farces where girls roll around in lingerie and then get pinched.”
According to Siikander, the play also has similarities to romantic comedies.
“The protagonist is somehow intelligent and witty, but there is a romantic idealism underneath the surface. The characters believe deep down in love and at the same time fight against it.”
Siikander is fascinated by the fact that Sutina ja säätöä airs the gender traditions of the farce.
“If you’ve always hated farces, then you should come and see them – and if you’ve loved farces, then you should!”
Text Ida Henritius