BWW Reviews: Goodman's VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

No one in their right mind would ever refer to Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov as a comedic playwright. Granted, there are facical elements to "The Cherry Orchard," but, barring some truly unintenally bad acting, Chekhov's works are seldom played for laughs.

Tony award-winning playwright Christopher Durang took elements, characters and situations from Chekhov's work, threw them into a blender and the end result is an absurdist, laugh-out-loud comedy. I imagine if Chekhov were alive today and writing for the sitcom "Seinfeld," the end results might look a bit like this.

Siblings Sonia (Janet Ulrich Brooks) and Vanya (Ross Lehman) have literally sacrificed their own lives to take care of their parents at the family's cottage. With both parents now deceased, Sonia and Vanya go through the motions of living, lamenting the lives they've never lived. Sonia has never had a man return her affections. Vanya secretly works on a play (inspired by Chekhov's "The Seagull," it is about a molecule). They are frequently warned by their cleaning lady Cassandra (played by E. Faye Butler) of impending doom, but, like her Greek namesake, Cassandra's predictions are ignored until they are too late.

Chaos comes in the form of their sister Masha (Mary Beth Fisher). A famous, but self-absored movie star, she has been footing the bills for her siblings. She arrives at the family homstead with Spike (her latest boy toy, played by Jordan Brown) to announce her intent to sell the family home.

Though she is envied by her siblings for having lived a life, it hasn't been as ideal as she lets on. She's had five marriages and her insecurities are further laid bare when Spike befriends the young and impressionable next door neighbor Nina (Rebecca Buller), who happens to be a fan of Masha's.

On paper, this all sounds like a Chekovian drama, but there are laughs none-the-less. To start, Brooks plays Sonia for all the character is worth. Sonia is a doom-an-gloom "Debbie Downer," but Brooks makes you care and root for Sonia.

As Vanya, Lehman doesn't have much to work with in the first act (he's pretty much the keeper of peace between his sisters). A second act monlogue about the changing landscape of both pop culture and technology is delivered with passion and heart as his character has a meltdown.

Fisher begins as a self-absorbed diva, but eventually warms to her family.Fisher reveals her character's vulnerability slowly; by the time we get to the core of the onion, we realize what a fragile person she truly is.

As Spike, Brown finds some nice comedic moments as a person who is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but smart enough to wield his looks, youth and physic as a weapon.

Rebecca Buller's Nina has the difficult task of appearing forever optomistic and youthful without coming across as naive. No small feat, but Buller is up to the task. Her performance feels very organic.

The biggest laughs of the night belong to Butler's Jamaican housekeeper. Butler is one of the most talented actresses working in Chicago and she dives into the role. A scene involving a voodoo doll manages to be both completely over-the-top (as one expects from Durang) and (I'm even surprised I'm writing this) heartfelt.

"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" is the perfect summer treat: loads of laughs, some eye candy courtesy of Brown and some great stage work from the entire cast.

"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" runs through July 26 at Goodman Theatre Albert Theatre, 170 North Dearborn. Tickets $25-$86. Call 312.443.3800 or www.GoodmanTheatre.org

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