photo by: Contributed

The cast of "The Cottage" rehearses at Theatre Lawrence.

One can hardly put on a Jazz Age British farce without a Victrola gramophone on set, but good luck finding one.

Theatre Lawrence had no such luck, despite scenic designer Jim Peterson “looking everywhere” for one. But it did have a 3D printer — a 21st century machine that staff could fire up to crank out a machine from 100 years ago.

The faux-Victrola is one of many pieces that — whether specially created by scene designers or found by prop coordinator Katelyn Abraham — give the production of “The Cottage” its Flapper-era, cocktail-fancying feel. Another piece is the costumes, particularly the women’s drop-waist dresses, many of which were sewn from scratch by costumer Jane Pennington. Yet another is the iconic wavy bobs courtesy of hair stylist Barb Long.

Maeghan Bishop-Brienzo, who is directing Sandy Rustin’s “The Cottage,” describes the show as a classic style British comedy with the flamboyance of Noel Coward and a suggestion of Monty Python — not the all-out absurdity of Monty Python, she notes; more like the ironic silliness of John Cleese.

“His type of comedic acting, which is very sharply, stereotypically British, you know? Everything can be falling apart around you, but you still take a moment to pause and have a nice cup of tea,” she says.

photo by: Contributed

The cast of “The Cottage” rehearses at Theatre Lawrence.

Set in a country home in England’s Cotswolds, the play features six characters and a long menu of romantic secrets, mistaken identities and surprise revelations.

But it’s not exactly a classic farce, Bishop-Brienzo says, because “it’s definitely written for a modern audience.”

“It doesn’t proceed and end quite the way you would expect,” she says. “In a classic farce you can typically predict by early in the second act how the play is going to end, but this one has some unexpected twists and turns.”

“The Cottage” was written by the same playwright, Rustin, who wrote “Clue: On Stage,” which Theatre Lawrence put on a year ago. The zany “Clue,” based on the popular British board game “Cluedo” was so well-received that Theatre Lawrence banked on “The Cottage” having the same appeal, Bishop-Brienzo says. The two productions share a similar aesthetic, but the juiciest mysteries in “The Cottage” don’t involve violent murders.

Casting for the show was a challenge and a joy, Bishop-Brienzo says, because of the “incredible turnout” at the auditions.

“Picking the combination, the dynamic that you especially want for your vision as a director, it’s wonderful to have so many choices,” she says. “You could cast it three or four different ways and it would still be a great show.”

Because the play’s dialogue is meant to be spoken in “Received Pronunciation” — that is, the type of accent associated with the British upper class — actors who auditioned were encouraged, but not expected, to use that accent, which is also known as “BBC English.” While the sound is important to the play’s sensibility, Bishop-Brienzo says she prioritized other acting talents, such as comedic timing and expressiveness.

“I figured (the accent) could be something I could work on and do some additional training on,” she says, and she was right, noting that she’s been “extremely happy with the actors we ended up casting.” Those actors include Emily Pons, Maggie Shermoen, Shelby Easum, Colton Smith, Ryan Hamilton-Canady and Zackary Bricken.

As for that Victrola, expect to hear some period music during the show, including from famed Kansas City jazz pianist and band leader Bennie Motten. A specially curated Spotify playlist with music from the era can be found on Theatre Lawrence’s website.

“The Cottage” opens Friday at Theatre Lawrence, 4660 Bauer Farm Drive, and will have multiple performances through March 22. For information about tickets, call 785-843-SHOW (7469) or go online at theatrelawrence.com. The show runs for 2 hours and 17 minutes and includes one 15-minute intermission.

photo by: Contributed

The cast of “The Cottage” rehearses at Theatre Lawrence.