The Enchanted Cottage

The Enchanted Cottage by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero is a charming and romantic fable, written in 1921. It ran on Broadway for 65 performances in 1923 and was made into a film in 1945. It was, in fact, produced here at the Guild in the 1953/1954 season. Socialite Oliver Bradshaw returns home from WWI disfigured by war wounds and convinced that no one will accept him as he is now. He hides from his family and the rest of the world, taking a secluded cottage overseen by a mysterious housekeeper. Laura Pennington, a painfully shy young woman from the village comes to look after Oliver. She tells him that the cottage in which he is staying is in fact a very old honeymoon cottage. The two begin developing feelings for each other and ultimately fall in love and marry. They discover the enchantment of the cottage has the power to transform. This play is about true beauty lying within, and about acceptance. Everyone deserves to love.