The Tony Award-winning VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE is a heartwarming story, with a generous amount of humor, of realizing how precious family is, and it's a story about finding the comfort and security of "home".
But before the characters relax into this realization, there's a reverse striptease!
VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE, now playing at Horizon Theatre, a co-production with Aurora Theatre, is somewhat based on the themes and characters written by the great Russian humorist Anton Chekhov. To be honest here, I'm not all that familiar with Chekhov, but I totally connected with the story on stage, particularly recognizing what I've read of Chekhov's sense of the ridiculous.
This is a story of two middle-aged siblings—Vanya (who remarkably reminds me of my brother who lives in Miami) and Sonia—living in their Pennsylvanian family home, and their estranged sister Masha who travels the world as a rather disconnected flamboyant movie star. The story gets twistingly hilarious when Masha returns home with boy toy Spike, who spends a fair amount of time on stage bare-chested.
When reunited, the siblings butt heads and, later on, come face-to-face with some tough decisions. With a costume party thrown into the mix, this laugh-out-loud comedy explores love, relationships, friendship, sibling rivalry and a little of the supernatural, but perhaps that's just brilliant insight of the family housekeeper...I'll leave that to you to discern.
We first learn of Vanya (portrayed by William S. Murphey) and Sonia's (portrayed by Lala Chocran) isolated, and rather complicated, existence and are then quickly introduced to the uproariously animated clairvoyant Cassandra (wonderfully portrayed by Denise Arribas). Her foreshadowing channeling isn't immediately nor abundantly exact, but contributes brilliantly and colorfully to the story.
We're later introduced to Spike (portrayed by Edward McCreary), who can't seem keep his shirt on—not that anyone was complaining—who shortly introduces us to an out-of-town, aspiring actress Nina (portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler), who makes Masha (portrayed by Tess Malis Kincaid) insanely—almost literally—jealous.
The reverse striptease is as much a surprise to the other characters as it is to the audience, and received with puzzling looks and laughter, respectively. That's all I'm going to tell you about that...you'll just have to see it for yourself. I find myself laughing as I write this...there's a lot of "clever" weaved into this play.
If you can, imagine the drama of family, jealousy, sibling rivalry, and a totally ripped boyfriend, all coupled with Snow White, a couple of dwarfs and a princess...you too are going to love and laugh with this show! And, not to spoil the ending, but there's a twist that some will consider a happy ending. Again, you decide.
Typically when I see a show, an actor or two will stand out as a personal favorites, but this cast performs so incredibly well together that I really can't identify a "favorite".
Denise—Cassandra the clairvoyant—made me laugh-out-loud the most...she's truly brilliant! Edward—Spike the shirtless boy toy—was incredibly convincing as a naive, life-loving jock, but having the opportunity to meet the actors after the show (love that!), you realize just how brilliant these actors are, and that they're totally acting their characters.
Recently the most-produced play in America, VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE is a must-see. You have through June 28, 2015, to get to Horizon Theatre in Little Five Points to see this remarkable, humorous, heart-touching play. Don't miss it!
But before the characters relax into this realization, there's a reverse striptease!
 |
| VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE, Horizon Theatre |
VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE, now playing at Horizon Theatre, a co-production with Aurora Theatre, is somewhat based on the themes and characters written by the great Russian humorist Anton Chekhov. To be honest here, I'm not all that familiar with Chekhov, but I totally connected with the story on stage, particularly recognizing what I've read of Chekhov's sense of the ridiculous.
This is a story of two middle-aged siblings—Vanya (who remarkably reminds me of my brother who lives in Miami) and Sonia—living in their Pennsylvanian family home, and their estranged sister Masha who travels the world as a rather disconnected flamboyant movie star. The story gets twistingly hilarious when Masha returns home with boy toy Spike, who spends a fair amount of time on stage bare-chested.
 |
| VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE, Horizon Theatre |
When reunited, the siblings butt heads and, later on, come face-to-face with some tough decisions. With a costume party thrown into the mix, this laugh-out-loud comedy explores love, relationships, friendship, sibling rivalry and a little of the supernatural, but perhaps that's just brilliant insight of the family housekeeper...I'll leave that to you to discern.
We first learn of Vanya (portrayed by William S. Murphey) and Sonia's (portrayed by Lala Chocran) isolated, and rather complicated, existence and are then quickly introduced to the uproariously animated clairvoyant Cassandra (wonderfully portrayed by Denise Arribas). Her foreshadowing channeling isn't immediately nor abundantly exact, but contributes brilliantly and colorfully to the story.
 |
| VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE, Horizon Theatre |
We're later introduced to Spike (portrayed by Edward McCreary), who can't seem keep his shirt on—not that anyone was complaining—who shortly introduces us to an out-of-town, aspiring actress Nina (portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler), who makes Masha (portrayed by Tess Malis Kincaid) insanely—almost literally—jealous.
The reverse striptease is as much a surprise to the other characters as it is to the audience, and received with puzzling looks and laughter, respectively. That's all I'm going to tell you about that...you'll just have to see it for yourself. I find myself laughing as I write this...there's a lot of "clever" weaved into this play.
If you can, imagine the drama of family, jealousy, sibling rivalry, and a totally ripped boyfriend, all coupled with Snow White, a couple of dwarfs and a princess...you too are going to love and laugh with this show! And, not to spoil the ending, but there's a twist that some will consider a happy ending. Again, you decide.
 |
| VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE, Horizon Theatre |
Typically when I see a show, an actor or two will stand out as a personal favorites, but this cast performs so incredibly well together that I really can't identify a "favorite".
Denise—Cassandra the clairvoyant—made me laugh-out-loud the most...she's truly brilliant! Edward—Spike the shirtless boy toy—was incredibly convincing as a naive, life-loving jock, but having the opportunity to meet the actors after the show (love that!), you realize just how brilliant these actors are, and that they're totally acting their characters.
Recently the most-produced play in America, VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE is a must-see. You have through June 28, 2015, to get to Horizon Theatre in Little Five Points to see this remarkable, humorous, heart-touching play. Don't miss it!
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