International City Theatre presents a send-up of Chekhov's plays that is so completely hilarious, it doesn't even matter if you think Chekhov is just the name of that Russian guy on Star Trek. Mary Jo DuPrey helms a new production of the deliciously wacky, Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang for aJune 10 opening, with two low-priced previews taking place on June 8 and June 9.
A witty mashup of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard, Durang's delightfully off-kilter romp is set in bucolic Bucks County, PA. There, middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia have frittered their lives away in the family farmhouse full of regret, angst and the alarmingly ambiguous prophecies of their addled house cleaner Cassandra. Enter their sister, self-absorbed movie star Masha, with her prized 20-something boy toy Spike, and the stage is set for an absurd weekend of abundant comic twists that pays loving homage to Chekhov's classic themes of loss and longing. The Washington Postcalls it "the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' of Chekhov."
"Durang's script is just brilliant - hilarious, smart and fun," said DuPrey. "One needn't be familiar with Chekhov because the characters are all so rooted in reality. It's about the passing of a slower way of life and a more thoughtful, articulate way of living - a time when people related on a deeper and more personal level than in today's Twitter universe. It reminds us that family is a refuge in our hyper-connected world. It's poignant, optimistic and very, very entertaining."
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike premiered at the
McCarter Theatre in 2012. Following an off-Broadway run, it transferred to Broadway in 2013, where it garnered not only the Tony Award, but also Drama Desk, New York Drama Critics Circle and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best New Play.
The ICT production stars Stephen Rockwell (resident artist at A Noise Within),
Leslie Stevens (ICT's God of Carnage),
Jennifer Parsons (ICT's Tally's Folly) and Connor McRaith (recent graduate of the University of Northern Colorado) as the titular four, with
Emily Goss (Stupid F**king Bird at The Theatre @ Boston Court) and Murielle Zuker (Seven Spots on the Sun at The Theatre @ Boston Court) taking on the roles of Nina and Cassandra.
Set design is by Maureen Weiss; lighting design is by John A. Garofalo; costume design is by Kim DeShazo; sound design is by Jeff Polunas; props are by Patty and Gordon Briles' wigs are by Anthony Gagliardi; casting is by
Michael Donovan Casting; and the production stage manager is Molly McGraw.
Photo by CaughtintheMoment.com
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