Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture

We licked postage stamps!!!

Vanya, and Sonia, and Masha, and Spike… OH MY! I must say that even though I very much enjoyed the show, and very much understood the plot, I will never remember the title! Because of its repetitive listing, I think I’ll recap the story a bit differently this time, and summarize each character rather than the scenes and the acts.

Vanya

Played with a delicious, understated, wry wit by David Hyde Pierce, Vanya is a 57 year old homosexual man who lives in his deceased parents’ house. After taking care of them for fifteen years as they grew older and suffered with Alzheimer’s, he was able to neither create a life for himself nor move out. He lives with his adopted younger sister Sonia. They live a very simple life as they sit in the morning/mourning room day in, and day out, looking at the pond and awaiting the return of their dearest blue heron. Later on in the story, Vanya debuts his own play, inspired by one written by Constantine in Chekhov’s The Seagull.

Sonia

Played by Kristine Nielsen with a daft, confused, yet sweet comicality, Sonia is a 52 year old woman who also lives in her deceased parents’ house. Her story is very similar to Vanya’s but has the added baggage of low self-esteem having always compared herself to her younger, more popular and prosperous sister Masha. Sonia has a very young, gentle, and innocent soul easily offended. Later on, she is able to come out of her shell when she dresses up as the Evil Queen from Snow White, as played by Maggie Smith, (Nielsen does an AMAZING imitation of Smith) for a costume party. The scene is even funnier, yet heartwarming, as she upstages Masha, dressed as “the protagonist” Snow White, and for once feels the more powerful of the two. The following day, Sonia receives a call from a man that connected to her at the party and is asked on her first date.

Masha

Played with loud and brash humor by Sigourney Weaver,, Masha is a 41 year old actress. Although she always wanted to be a serious stage artist, it was ultimately a role in a not-so-serious movie that brought her fame. Unlike her siblings, Masha left home and didn’t take care of her parents as they grew old, although she repeatedly reminds them how she paid for all the bills. She fears growing old, and makes up for this dread by dating a young man in his twenties named Spike. Throughout the play, we see Masha realizing that perhaps her superficial existence is not what life is all about.

Spike

Played by the very handsome Billy Magnussen with a juvenile, oversexed, and broad physical comedy, Spike is a twenty-something year old aspiring actor who almost made it onto the spin-off series of Entourage – Entourage 2. He even shows the cast, as well as the audience, his audition and it’s not surprising that he didn’t make it onto the series! Spike represents the next generation, or what I would (sadly) consider my generation: one that can strip down into its underwear whenever it feels like it, or text even in inappropriate situations; a generation that does not know how to behave as well as it should.

Cassandra

Played hilariously by Shalita Grant, Cassandra is Sonia and Vanya’s house-keeper. She has supernatural powers, practices voodoo and can see into the future. She warns her employers of “hooty-pie,” a mysterious entity that would eventually prove to be Masha’sassistant. Her visions are always correct in some form. It seems that hooty-pie was trying to convince Masha to sell her parents’ house in which her siblings dwell as well as having a secret affair with Masha’s young boy-toy Spike. BEWARE OF HOOTY-PIE!

And last but not least… Nina

Played by Genevieve Angelson, Nina is a teenage girl who happens to be visiting her family for the weekend. She is a huge fan of Masha and her acting, and aspires to be an actress someday as well. Though attracted to Spike, she dislikes his behavior and self-centeredness. She befriends Vanya, calling him Uncle Vanya (there are tons of Chekhov references/jokes throughout the play), and encourages him to debut the play that he’s written. I see Nina as a hopeful and angelic character – without people like her, my generation would truly be hopeless!

Yes, I explained who all the characters were, and through these explanations gave Durang’s play a bit of a summary. But, I bet you are still a bit confused as to what Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike was all about! I think it all boils down to one scene:

Vanya, taking a mild leap of faith reads, for Masha and Spike, a play he secretly wrote, with Nina and Sonia playing some of his characters. The play is about the end of the world, and is narrated by a molecule that longs for the past. While the play is being presented, Spike is toying with a candy wrapper and texting on his phone. Masha is astonished by her boy-toy’s rudeness and asks him to stop – but he doesn’t. When Vanya sees this, he kind of blows a gasket. Not only does he scold Spike for being disrespectful, he goes into a rant about how the new generation has no idea what correct behavior is and has no idea what life was like back in the mid-20th century. Throughout this entire rant, the audience was on the floor laughing, my mom included. If it wasn’t the funny mannerisms Vanya was making, it was the look of pure hysteria on my mother’s face that had me laughing! I’m used to this rant (I hear it from my mom), and I sometimes partake in it as well (though I do not personally know what it was like to live in the 1950s). I think the entire theme of the play is the dichotomy between the old and the new, the stagnant and the forward thinking – what symbolism is now given to Cassandra’s character! Though I didn’t quite get all of Vanya’s references to ’50s television, I did understand what his outburst was about. We need to learn how to slow down in the 21st century. We must realize what is important in life – family, happiness, and health – and what isn’t – excessive multitasking, keeping up with the Joneses, and looking out for no one but oneself.

The play ends with Masha deciding not to sell the family home and the three siblings nodding their heads in sync to the melody of The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” a song that happened to be on Nina’s portable music player. This musical selection surprises Vanya, and makes him aware that not all is lost for the future generations – some people still have good taste!

I cannot conclude this post without a mention of the set. Though most, if not all, of the action took place outside in the morning/mourning room, David Korins included an interior to the house complete with three entrances/egresses including a staircase lending to a realistic and intimate feel. The lighting, by Justin Townsend, was also phenomenal, as scene changes were marked by the gradual change of natural lighting from the make-believe sun (if that makes any sense!).

It turns out that last night was opening night for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. I would definitely recommend you go and see the stunning, entertaining and comical performance! I was further impressed by the fact that such big name talent actually came out of the stage door to sign autographs for a matinee, although Sigourney Weaver never turned around to my side of the barriers. I can’t say I blame her – it was snowing and freezing and her warm car beckoned!

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Golden Theatre
March 16, 2013

Marina B. Nebro