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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Also see Susan's reviews of Lights Rise on Grace and Simply Sondheim and coverage of the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards
Durang touches lightly on Chekhovian themes of quiet despair, the loss or absence of love, and the need for a purpose in life in this play, which won the Tony Award in 2013, but don't worry; it's wrapped in absurdity and a thick layer of rich, not ironic laughter. (Among its philosophical quandaries: exactly how many cherry trees are needed to comprise an orchard?) Vanya (Eric Hissom) and Sonia (Sherri L. Edelen), a brother and sister in their fifties, live in their childhood home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Their parents were professors who loved theater, which explains why they and their sister Masha (Grace Gonglewski) are named after characters in Chekhov's plays. The other regular presence in the house is Cassandra (Jessica Frances Dukes), the excitable cleaning woman who seemingly just stepped in from a Greek tragedy. (According to myth, Cassandra could foretell the future but was cursed so no one would believe her prophecies.) Masha comes to visit, bringing along her well-muscled but meathead young lover, Spike (Jefferson Farber). Soon, stagestruck neighbor Nina (Rachel Esther Tate) appears at the house, and then tempers flare up, jealousies kick in, and people decide they will start their lives over—immediately. And that doesn't even include the Snow White costume, the Maggie Smith impersonation, and Hissom's splendid, operatic rant against contemporary society. Edelen is the brightest light on the stage as she takes Sonia from dowdy and defensive to resplendent and, most surprising to her, happy. She never condescends toward the character but understands and accepts her flaws. Hissom is a charming Vanya and Gonglewski amuses as she portrays Masha's self-absorption, while Farber works to keep Spike from becoming unbearably egotistical, and Dukes grabs focus in every scene in which she appears. Scenic designer Daniel Conway has created a lush setting in the round: inlaid wooden floors delineate the entry hall, front room, and exit to the rest of the house, all surrounded by grass and shrubs and weathered gables hanging above. Arena Stage
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