Upon
walking into the intimate theatre space to attend Christopher Durang’s
Tony-award winning play: Vanya and Sonia
and Masha and Spike, I immediately noticed the homey, rustic and
comfortable set, designed in detail by James Morgan. The “morning room”, as it
is referred to in the play, felt cozy and relaxing like a summer home in the
mountains. However, that cozy, comfortable, relaxed feeling quickly departed
when the play began as Vanya started his day with a cup of coffee and
unknowingly set off his sister Sonia.
This
wonderfully, written play is about three middle aged siblings. Vanya and Sonia,
who, after spending many years caring for their aging parents, have stayed on,
living in the family home. Their selfish sister Masha, meanwhile, went off to
become an actress and travel the world. On this particular weekend, however,
Masha and her much younger boyfriend, Spike, have come to visit Vanya and Sonia
and it doesn’t take long for tension to build and old resentments to surface
amongst the group. This well-executed production features a cast of six talented
actors under the direction of Gus Kaikkonen.
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| Cast of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Photo Credit Peterborough Players |
Vanya,
played by Kraig Swartz, had great comedic timing and spot-on line delivery
throughout the play. His monologue (as a tirade) in act two about how times
have changed was amusingly relatable for the audience who understood every pop
culture and generational reference he made from Davey Crocket to licking
postage stamps. While his monologue went on for quite a while, it never seemed
like he was unsure of his place in it. Every reference and every line was
delivered with precision in addition to emotional and vocal variation that kept
the audience fully engaged with what he was saying. With a speech of that
length I think it could have very easily been performed in one tone that would have
quickly had the audience zoning out, but not with Swartz. His performance of
Vanya, and in particular this speech, was exactly how it should be done.
Sonia,
nicely played by Dee Nelson, was very much a sympathetic character who was convinced
that opportunities to live an adventurous life were over and who often felt
invisible when Masha was around. Nelson portrayed Sonia superbly, especially
when Sonia took on the personality of Dame Maggie Smith while the group
attended a costume party. Masha, splendidly played by Lisa Bostnar, is a
self-centered actress who wasn’t around much when her siblings were caring for
their ailing parents, but thanks to the events of this trip home she realizes
the importance of family and is able to reconnect with her siblings. Bostnar
fully embodied this role and was a delight to watch. Masha’s younger boyfriend
Spike, boisterously played by Bobby Mittelstadt, is outrageously eccentric and
completely contrasts every other character. It is his young, immature disregard
for others, especially his elders, that sends Vanya on his outburst about
change and the past. Cassandra, the maid, is entertainingly played by Megan
Robinson. Nina, the young niece of a neighbor, aspiring actress and big fan of
Masha, is delightfully played by Eleanor Pearson. The cast as a whole brought
humorous life to this fun production.
The
audience overwhelmingly loved this production as seen by how quickly they arose
from their seats to give it a well-deserved standing ovation. This production
is rated PG-13 for strong language and adult themes. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike plays on the Peterborough
Players stage, 55 Hadley Road, Peterborough, NH, until July 31st. For tickets
call the box office at 603-924-7585 or check out www.PeterboroughPlayers.org
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