BWW Reviews: Chuckling with Chekov, VANYA AND MASHA AND SONIA AND SPIKE

A quaint, well-loved home is where the scene is set. Minimal set dressings to mask the beautiful awkwardness of the first scene - with remnants of Anton Chekov's greatest works scattered upon the mantle. A seagull, a sister, a cluster of cherry blossoms, and a brood of hens watch over the home from their perch. These little trinkets are entirely appropriate since three of the four title roles were named after Chekov's characters. Vanya, the brother in the play, blames the unfortunate circumstance of his unusual name on his having professors for parents.

Christopher Durang's modern nod to Chekov is a tale spun around three siblings who are all longing to live their lives to the fullest. Vanya and Sonia (played by a delightfully doting James Ridge and the incomparable Sarah Day respectively) are siblings who have lived together since losing their parents. Neither sibling is employed or feels that their life has been fulfilled. Their mindset particularly rings true when their sister Masha, a perfectly over-the-top Julie Swenson, appears at their doorstep. Masha is the family's golden ticket. A film star who is well traveled, wealthy, well connected with everyone except her family, and has taken a lover two decades her junior (Spike).

Under the direction of Jennifer Uphoff Gray, Durang's 2013 Tony Award winner is a charming satire. With her history of directing Durang's satire in the past, Gray has developed an understanding of how to stage his humor. With an already exaggerated dramatis persona, the characters do not need to milk their lines to get the laughs. Each role carries its own type of humor which is what the actors rely on.

Breakout star Travis A. Knight as Spike, for example, plays up his character's over sexed nature and the audience responded with uproarious laughter or applause. Followed up by Marcella Kearns' far out psychic turned voodoo doctor Cassandra or Alexandra Bonesho's sweet natured Nina, these stock characters are often far from ordinary.

Forward Theater deserves an extra round of applause for providing contextual materials in the lobby for this production. Being able to read portions of the script that highlighted where Durang met Chekov's text is a vital element to ensuring that the audience is in on the joke. That being said, while certain Chekov one liners were met with the deserved chuckles for wit, others fell almost completely flat.

Vanya has an undeniably smart script, but exists in a world that may not quite get the joke.

It would be unfair to say that the humor in Vanya is pretentious - it simply lends itself to Vanya's diatribe near the end of the show. His tirade dissects our current age of technology to its core. Comparing it to 1950's popular culture like Howdy Doody or how to properly dial a phone, he easily creates the most mesmerizing moments in the show. However, just as certain Chekov zings can miss the target, many of the popular culture references from Vanya's speech will be lost in time as well.

Vanya is a mask with many faces. To those who are Chekov enthusiasts, it's full of hidden gems. To those who are completely unfamiliar with the Russian playwright, it's a romp through a day in the life of a dysfunctional family. All in all, the show is zany, biting, though sometimes a little clumsy. Perhaps it is what Sonia likens herself to be - "a wild turkey."

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