Review: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Concludes the Walterdale Theatre's 65th Season

At first glance, Vanya and Sonia seem like ordinary siblings. They sip their morning coffee together, reminisce about their childhoods, and banter about mundane things such as how many cherry trees constitute an orchard. However, both lead deeply unhappy lives: the siblings are friendless, unemployed, and cloistered in their deceased parents’ stuffy home. As if they aren’t miserable enough, their egocentric movie star sister, Masha, drops by, parading her much-younger boyfriend and a plan to sell the house. So begins Christopher Durang’s Tony Award-winning comedy, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

The final production of the Walterdale Theatre’s 65th anniversary season, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, transports audiences to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. As soon as the curtain rises, it’s obvious why Vanya (Andrew Mecready) and Sonia (Nicole English) are going stir- crazy. The sparse furniture is stiff and dated and the bland, brownish-grey walls are lined with paintings that would not be out of place in a hospital waiting room. When Sonia joins the pajama-clad Vanya for their morning coffee, the ensuing tension is thick enough to cut with a knife. This tension only escalates when Masha (Donna Call) slinks back into their lives.

As Vanya and Sonia, Mecready  and English deliver entertaining, occasionally heart-wrenching performances. Both actors disappear into their emotionally fraught roles, delivering nuanced portrayals of bitter characters who still endear themselves to the audience. English is especially captivating to watch as Sonia gradually evolves from a sulky mess into a cautious optimist. In one of the show’s most memorable moments, a costume party-ready Sonia glides down the stairs in a shimmering jumpsuit and tiara (a modern take on the evil queen from Snow White) to a flurry of applause.

Rounding out the unconventional sibling trio is the larger-than-life Masha. Donna Call is a hoot as the slinky, narcissistic Hollywood A-lister whose personality and antics are reminiscent of divas Norma Desmond, Blanche Devereux, and Moira Rose. Accompanying Masha is Spike (David Son), a 29-year-old fitness enthusiast with all the intelligence of a doorknob. Thrown into the mix is Nina (Jack Hunting), a perpetually flustered young woman who Spike encounters on one of his routine shirtless jogs. Lastly, there is Vanya and Sonya’s eccentric housekeeper, Cassandra (Anglia Redding), who frequently interrupts the siblings’ bickering with announcements of what she claims are psychic visions.

Though the play and its characters are inspired by the plays of Anton Chekhov, audience members unfamiliar with his works will still find much to enjoy here. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike showcases not only the thorny side of sibling relationships but the heartwarming ones, exploring the highs and lows that come with sharing a family tree. Theatregoers have until July 20 to catch this offbeat production!

Image Credit: Walterdale Theatre

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