24-10-2021, 12:31 PM
Vanya and his sister Sonia have lived their whole sedate lives in the smalltown Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up.
Their lives are very different from that of their sister Masha who many years ago escaped the humdrum life they grew up with and became a famous movie star.
But then Masha, played by Janie Dee, returns to the family homestead unexpectedly with her twenty-something young lover Spike in tow.
So begins a raucous weekend of unresolved sibling rivalry, regrets and striking accurate premonitions. Durang’s comedy won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike takes Chekhov and throws it in a blender with modern-day celebrity culture, social media and concerns about ageing.
Durang’s skilful writing and absurdist slant will make this an enjoyable show for everyone, and knowledge of Chekhov will only enhance that enjoyment.
Their lives are very different from that of their sister Masha who many years ago escaped the humdrum life they grew up with and became a famous movie star.
But then Masha, played by Janie Dee, returns to the family homestead unexpectedly with her twenty-something young lover Spike in tow.
So begins a raucous weekend of unresolved sibling rivalry, regrets and striking accurate premonitions. Durang’s comedy won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike takes Chekhov and throws it in a blender with modern-day celebrity culture, social media and concerns about ageing.
Durang’s skilful writing and absurdist slant will make this an enjoyable show for everyone, and knowledge of Chekhov will only enhance that enjoyment.