Yes, it’s a mouthful, but Playcrafters of Skippack has chosen a great winter blues buster in the opening show of their 2015 season, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike.
Playwright Christopher Durang has borrowed from his love of Anton Chekhov in his multi-award winning play that’s picked up a number of awards including the 2013 Tony Award and Drama Desk award, among others. This edgy family comedy is set in present day Bucks County during the summer. The story touches on the themes of love, family and fame, and takes the characters and by extension, the audience, into a self-exploration, of sorts.
The play showed on Broadway in 2013 and once starred David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen, Sigourney Weaver and Billy Magnussen.
Director Tom McGuire said there are some “laugh out loud moments.” And added, “We’ve all been saying (during rehearsal) that it’s rare to laugh so much so early.”
The comedy takes place over a period two days, and the plot revolves around the relationships of three middle-aged siblings. Steven Zanine plays “Vanya” and Heidi Murphy plays “Sonia.” They live together in the family home owned by third sibling, “Masha,” a slasher-horror B-movie star who’s seen her heyday come and go, played by Linda Friday. Other characters include Masha’s younger boyfriend, “Spike,” played by Scott McMaster; “Cassandra,” the cleaning lady, played by Evangeline Martinez, and “Nina,” played by Bishon Prushankin.
You don’t need to by familiar with Chekhov to appreciate the humorous Vayna & Sonia & Masha & Spike as the family (who apparently hasn’t grown up) brood about their lives, loves and whether their property’s cherry trees constitute an actual orchard. Throw in some global warming and a costume party along with the threat of losing their house and an occasional strip tease, and the stoic environment is set on its head.
“In my 20s, I read Chekhov’s plays and loved them,” said Durang. “My impetus for Vanya was the realization that I am now the age of Chekhov’s older characters. And I found myself wanting to write a comic play – not a parody, but its own thing. Set in Bucks in the present. So I took themes and characters from Chekhov, and put them into a comic blender.”
The show is produced by Courtney Katz; stage management by Ron Lake; lighting designer is Ryan Kadwill.
There is a lot to laugh about among the brooding siblings as their relationships are explored.
If you go:Playcrafters at the Barn
2011 Store Road at Rt. 73 (Skippack Pike)
Skippack, PA 19474610-584-4005
April 23, 24, 25, May 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 at 8 p.m.
May 3 at 3 p.m.Tickets: $17.00
Info: www.playcrafters.org
