**** Highly Recommended **** Dunes Summer Theatre’s third production of the season is an adult-oriented comedy called Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike. Don’t let the name put you off, this Chekhov spoof has a lot of farce elements. The characters are wacky, the brother-sister bickering is spot-on, and Spike, the boy toy, is too much. Vanya and Sonia got me laughing in the first minute, and the laughs just kept coming! 4 Spotlights.
Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike was written by Christopher Durang. It opened on Broadway in 2012, winning the Tony Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play in 2013. The Dunes Summer Theatre production is directed by DST Artistic Director Steve Scott. Kudos to Set Designer Linda Buchanan for the gorgeous country house set.
A pair of professors, in love with Anton Chekhov’s plays, afflicted their three children with gloomy Russian names. When they became ill, Vanya (Ted Hoerl) and Sonia (Suzy Krueckeberg), took care of them. Now that the parents are gone, neither has a job; they still live in the family home; and they’re totally dependent on Masha (Laura Leonardo Ownby) – now a successful actress.
Vanya is quietly enjoying an early morning cup of coffee when Sonia takes umbrage because he poured his own coffee. He accommodatingly trades cups with her, but then arbitrarily decides he liked the first cup better. He switched them back, she threw the cup across the room. Sonia said she dreamt that she was a 52-year-old woman who’s never been married. He points out that she is 52 and has never been married.
Their cleaning lady, Cassandra (Felicia Hinojosa), who fancies herself to be a soothsayer, frequently spouts a lot of gibberish with an occasional mysterious hint of impending doom and/or a twitchy trance. Vanya and Sonia have learned by experience that her predictions usually come to pass. Cassandra also forgets to pass on important messages – like the one about Masha’s imminent arrival.
Masha has come home because she has an invitation to a costume party given by someone terribly famous. She’s brought her new boy toy, Spike (Nathan Kirk), along. Spike’s claim to fame is that he was almost cast in a TV show. Spike has no filters and no inhibitions. When he spies the pond behind the house, he does a strip, right down to his underwear. Sonia, Vanya and Cassandra are shocked, while Masha fondly looks on – at least until he brings back Nina (Danielle Kerr), a college girl visiting next door, whom he’s invited to the party.
Masha isn’t just an actress, she’s a star – and a star going to a costume party requires a retinue wearing costumes to complement her selection. Although Vanya and Sonia have never met the host, Masha is positive they’ll be welcome because they’re coming with her. Her assistant has arranged for her to be Snow White, Spike will be Prince Charming and she even got dwarf costumes for Vanya and Sonia.
Sonia, who flat out refuses to wear a dwarf costume, goes to the local thrift store, and comes back with a sequined evening gown and tiara, insisting she’ll be the wicked stepmother of the “Mirror, mirror on the wall” legend.
Masha also mentions, in passing, that her assistant has also been monitoring her expenses and recommended that the house be sold, since it’s a constant drain on her finances. While Vanya and Sonia are aghast, Cassandra decides to take matters into her own hands.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike runs through August 13th at Dunes Arts Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oaks Drive, Michigan City. Running time is approximately 2 hours, 25 minutes with an intermission. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $35. FYI www.duensarts.org.