Riffing on some of Anton Chekov's most time-tested themes, Christopher Durang proves in his hysterically funny and surprisingly affecting new romp, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, that whether you're in 19th Century Russia or 21st Century Pennsylvania, the human condition never changes. Vanya (Pierce) and Sonia (Nielsen) have never left the confines of their childhood home - a rambling farmhouse in Bucks County, PA - while having to witness the glamorous exploits of their sister, Masha (Weaver), a famous movie actress, from afar. A surprise visit from Masha and her 20-something boy toy, Spike (Magnussen), throws the normally quiet household int0 utter upheaval as its residents and visitors get swept up in an intoxicating mixture of lust, rivalry, regret, and the sudden possibility of escape. Only one thing is certain: no one will get out of this without looking absolutely ridiculous!
The play may be - okay, is, definitely - overstuffed. Fortunately, the performances are first-rate. Durang's old Yale Drama pal Weaver and Nielsen, his favorite character actress of late, know his brand of eccentric comedy better than anyone. Nielsen, especially, is at her bug-eyed, bobble-headed best - really, this is a good thing, particularly when she's impersonating Maggie Smith. And sure, Hyde Pierce's second-act harangue against technology, TV, and self-stick postage stamps goes on about five minutes two long - though the Frasier star's delivery couldn't be more spot-on....But restraint has never really been Durang's thing...Whatever he borrows from long-dead Russian playwrights, Vanya and Sonia... is entirely, indisputably, oh-no-he-didn't classic Durang.
Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a comic tour de force about a bunch of Chekhovian characters full of yearning...Hyde Pierce is just plain perfect, and his monologue about the joys of the past is pulled off with a virtuosic mastery of eccentricity and stagecraft.... Nielsen gives her best performance to date, getting big laughs with her Maggie Smith impression...Weaver seems to be stretching in her performance as such a superficial lady, but her emphatic delivery won me over....Nicholas Martin has directed the whole thing with equal parts wit and feeling. I haven't wanted to simultaneously laugh and cry this much since...Chekhov.
2012 | Off-Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theater Production Off-Broadway |
2013 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Play | Christopher Durang |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Play | Christopher Durang |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Kristine Nielsen |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | David Hyde Pierce |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | 0 |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Nicholas Martin |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Kristine Nielsen |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | 0 |
2013 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Award | Shalita Grant |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Nicholas Martin |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Billy Magnussen |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | David Hyde Pierce |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Shalita Grant |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Kristine Nielsen |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Christopher Durang |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | ShadowCatcher Entertainment |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Ron Simons |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Richard Jordan |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Lincoln Center Theater |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | McCarter Theatre Center |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | John Johnson |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | S.D. Wagner |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Cheryl Wiesenfeld |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Hugh Hysell |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Michael Palitz |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Barbara Manocherian |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Meredith Lynsey Schade |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Megan Savage |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Mary Cossette |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Radio Mouse Entertainment |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Cricket Hooper Jiranek |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Richard Winkler |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | David Elliott |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jamie deRoy |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Joshua Goodman |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | John O'Boyle |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Catherine Adler |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Pat Flicker Addiss |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Martin Platt |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Larry Hirschhorn |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Joey Parnes |
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