Review: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Has All The Makings Of A Hit Broadway Play

4.5 out of 5 stars

Christopher Durang's Tony Award winning play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, opened last night at the Panasonic Theatre. The play's premise is reminiscent of a sitcom: Masha, a famous actress past her prime (and the most successful sibling) returns home for a weekend to visit her siblings Sonia and Vanya. Sonia and Vanya have spent the last 15 years caring for their aging parents who have since passed away. Sonia is especially jealous of the success Masha has had.

With Masha comes her arm-candy boyfriend, Spike - whose light is on but nobody's home. Throw in a quirky next door neighbor and a psychic cleaning lady... and you've got the makings of a hit show.

This production is exquisite, beautifully designed and perfectly cast; It has all the makings of a big hit.

Fiona Reid steals each scene she's in as the emotionally fragile Sonia. She embodies the themes of longing and resentment that those familiar with Chekov's style will be able to appreciate. A spot-on impression of Dame Maggie Smith cements Reid as the standout performer in this cast. (The title characters are all named for characters written by Chekov, though familiarity with his work isn't required to enjoy this production.)

Jennifer Dale is over-the-top and hilarious as Masha, and it works perfectly. Her character doesn't get to show much depth until late in the play - but Dale skillfully transforms her villainous character into someone quite likable towards the end of the second act.

Steven Sutcliffe makes a fine, "probably gay" Vanya. Vanya is fairly passive for most of the play and doesn't have nearly as much fun as his fellow cast members. Sutcliffe knows how to perfectly land each moment without becoming a stock character.

Luke Humphrey as Spike is exactly what you'd imagine "arm candy" to look like. His performance is predictable and not particularly original - but that's to be expected of a character like Spike.

Audrey Dwyer as Cassandra is even more over-the-top than Dale, and in this case I don't think it's a positive aspect of her performance. Her shtick is over-used and takes audiences out of some of the more serious moments.

Ellen Denny as Nina, the neighbor who wants to meet the movie star next door, is perfect for her role. Her character's lack of awareness of some of the things going on around her combined with her innocence is aptly used in this production.

Director Dean Paul Gibson has done a good job in staging this production, but I feel like some of the deeper moments have gotten lost in his sitcom-esque direction. Scenes dealing with the resentment of Sonia over Masha's success are barley explored, as are similar moments dealing with "probably gay" Vanya's sexuality. I think there's more subtext in the words than we're seeing from these performances.

Despite some minor issues, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is an exceptional play and I urge Toronto audiences to see it while they have the opportunity.

Tickets for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at The Panasonic Theatre are on sale now at Mirvish.com. The production is on stage through April 5, 2015.

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