Get a Clue: An interview with Sandy Rustin on joyful feminism

GET A CLUE: VISIT THE COTTAGE
An interview with Sandy Rustin on joyful feminism

When I sat down to speak with playwright Sandy Rustin, our convo quickly turned joyful. Not surprising. Rustin’s work has that effect on people. Whether it’s the whirlwind comedy of Clue, the feminist farce of The Cottage, or her early parenting-inspired musical Rated P for Parenthood, her plays are known for their buoyant energy, adept physical comedy, and sharp comedic rhythms. Over the course of our talk, Rustin traced her journey from actor to playwright, the whirlwind success of Clue, and what it feels like to see her own work on Broadway after years of development.

On Clue and Its Surprising Journey

‍Like so many of us, (of ahem “a certain age”), Rustin grew up playing the board game Clue and watching the cult-favorite 1985 film. But she never expected to be the one entrusted with adapting it for the stage.

“I was doing a workshop of The Cottage at Manhattan Theatre Club,” she recalls. “The commercial producers who had acquired the film rights to Clue happened to be in the audience. They came up to me afterward and said they were looking for someone with a knack for physical comedy and quick dialogue. They asked if I wanted to take a look.”

That that “look” turned into a national phenomenon. The play premiered at Cleveland Playhouse in January 2020. Weeks later, the pandemic shut theaters down. “I thought, well, that was nice,” Rustin laughs. “Maybe that was it.”

Out of necessity, a Zoom- friendly adaptation was created so high schools could perform it remotely. It caught fire. “Schools across the country embraced it. Kids were desperate for something they could do together, even virtually. Their parents saw it, their friends saw it, and when live theater came back, suddenly people already knew the show. It just exploded.”

By 2023, Clue was one of the most produced plays in the country. It launched an 18-month national tour, filling theaters from coast to coast. “It’s been such a surprise and such a joy,” Rustin says. “People come dressed up, they take photos, they laugh themselves silly. It’s been a real gift.”

I had the pleasure of seeing Clue on its national tour stop in Madison, WI. The theater was packed, people were in stitches, there were themed cocktails, lots of hats and feather boas, I felt the (cue Madeline Kahn) “flames, flames…on the side of my face” of pure theatrical joy.

Beyond Murder Mysteries

‍While Rustin has spent some time with murder-mystery comedy (Clue, The Cottage, The Suffragette’s Murder) she clarifies that it isn’t really about the genre.

“I don’t actually have a deep embedded love of murder mysteries,” she explains. “What I love is stylized, physical comedy - that frenzied, heightened energy that makes me laugh.  

A Childhood Dream Realized

Sandy’s passion for theater began early. Growing up in Chicago, Rustin attended a high school with a thriving performing arts program. “We had a student-written musical every year, and I was able to write and perform in it. My senior year I was the head writer. At seventeen, I was writing my first full-length musical. I loved it.”

At Northwestern University, she continued her dual track of acting and writing, later studying in London. After college, she threw herself into acting in New York, working steadily throughout her twenties.  But the arrival of parenthood reshaped her trajectory.

“Eight shows a week just didn’t work anymore once I had kids,” she says. “Writing became something I could do from home, with more flexibility. And it turned out to be deeply fulfilling.”

Her first major piece as a writer was Rated P for Parenthood, a sketch-comedy musical about parenting. The show ran Off-Broadway in 2012 and announced Rustin’s arrival as a playwright to watch.

The Cottage’s Long Road to Broadway

‍Rustin fell in love with Noel Coward after performing in Hay Fever at Northwestern. In The Cottage she has transformed Coward’s world that describes as “the comfort food of theater” into her feminist romp. “I had this idea about Sylvia and Beau - that they would come together one night every seven years.” Sandy nurtured her play over nearly a decade through regional workshops and productions.

One night, Sandy was backstage, in costume, performing in a play, by another writer, just minding her own business, being an actor, and overheard the Producer bemoaning the lack of female driven comedies. Sandy said simply, “I have one.”  

Then, a stroke of serendipity: Jason Alexander (best known as George Costanza on Seinfeld) was looking to make his Broadway directing debut. He gravitated to The Cottage. Once attached, he brought along Eric McCormack, his longtime friend, to star.

From there, momentum built. In the summer of 2023, The Cottage opened at the Hayes Theatre on Broadway, running for a limited engagement through October.

“I had literally waited my whole life,” Rustin says. “And then suddenly it was happening. It was overwhelming. Really special.”

What Comes Next

Rustin currently has two projects in active development. One, Loch Ness, is about the legendary monster and is a collaboration with Marshall Pailet and A.D. Penedo. The other, still untitled, is being developed with songwriter Edie Brickell. “We’re workshopping it in Texas this winter,” she says, her excitement palpable.

Seeing Her Work in New Hands

‍One of the joys (and challenges) of being a playwright is watching others bring your work to life.

“It’s completely different every time,” Rustin says. “Sometimes exhilarating, sometimes hard.”

Sometimes Sandy sees something that makes her rethink my own play. At the Alley Theatre in Houston, for example, they staged Clue with a minimal set - just a doorway on wheels. “It was so simple, and so effective, and there was so much space for physical comedy, because they were using that door in a thousand and one ways, and I loved it. I was, like, completely on Cloud Nine after that production.

Her plays are now being produced internationally. She’ll soon travel to Helsinki, where The Cottage will be performed in Finnish.

“But every time I do feel flooded with gratitude that anybody is interested in what I have to say, or curious, or willing to produce my work. Every time I just feel so grateful. It’s like absolutely what I want to be doing in this world, and so when there’s space to make that happen, it just feels like a huge gift every time.”

Looking Ahead to Performing Again

Though she’s devoted most of the last decade to writing, Rustin hasn’t closed the door on performing. “I have no desire to ever audition again,” she admits with a laugh. “But I would love to perform in my own work. As my kids get older, I have more space in my life to imagine that. I think directing or performing in projects I create feels like a
natural next step.”

The Joy of Comedy

It seems to me, what drives Rustin is joy; both her own and her audience’s. Whether it’s Clue, The Cottage, or something new, Sandy’s goal seems to be to create an experience where people come together, laugh, and leave a little lighter than when they arrived.

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Heidi Armbruster’s play, THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD, played at the Alleyway last season. She is a New York based theater artist dedicated to creating new work and discovering new approaches to classical literature and theater. heidiarmbruster.com‍