If anyone needs a life coach, it would be adult siblings Vanya and Sonia, two characters in Christopher Durang’s zany comedy, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. The Broadway hit play is currently being produced at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre in Milwaukee, WI. The brother and sister, still recovering from the loss of their elderly parents, open the play with a quiet moment at dawn in their family home’s front room. Vanya, seated in his favorite chair, has a view of the backyard pond and watches for a blue heron to arrive as he sips his coffee. The morning stillness doesn’t last for long, however. Sonia’s arrival causes a spat that sends her coffee cup flying across the room. Sonia’s frustration at the lack of a purpose in her life is what fuels the events throughout this sometimes hilarious, sometimes thoughtful look at contemporary life. Durang’s comedy captured the imagination of New York audiences when it opened a sold-out 2012 run at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi Newhouse Theater. In 2013, it moved to Broadway’s John Golden Theater. Critical raves continued, and a 2013 Tony Award for Best Play of the Year soon followed. The celebrity status of Sigourney Weaver, who plays a Hollywood star and sister to Vanya and Sonia, didn’t hurt the play’s attraction, either. Her character, Masha, was actually based on Weaver’s own career at the Yale School of Drama. She was among Christopher Durang’s classmates. The playwright himself admits that the Vanya character is somewhat autobiographical, too. But none of this backstage buzz is necessary to fully understand and enjoy Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike. It has become Durang’s best-known play, outpacing his earlier work, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All for You .
The midlife malaise of the middle-aged siblings in Vanyais examined in exquisite detail. It also unfolds on an equally exquisite set in Milwaukee, designed by Brandon Kirkham. Although the parents are never seen, of course, their worldly life is showcased in the artifacts displayed all around them. African tribal masks, Native American woven blankets and other treasures from around the globe remain a silent testament to these two professors. They were so smitten by Chekhov, the playwright, they even named their children Vanya, Sonia and Masha after characters in some of Chekhov’s well-known plays. The Chekhov-like angst that permeates the play, under the direction of Marcella Kearns, is the reason one thinks of a life coach. After devoting 15 years of their lives to taking care of their parents (even after dementia set in), brother and sister are now wondering how to navigate the rest of their own years. Sonia, the more bitter of the two, is magically portrayed by veteran actor Jenny Wanasek. Her lovely appearance has been dramatically altered to turn her into the careworn Sonia. Her ultra-casual (almost dowdy) outfit is accented by unkempt blonde hair that looks as though it hasn’t seen a hairbrush in years. This is necessary for her miraculous transformation in a subsequent scene (more about that later). Vanya (nicely done by C. Michael Wright, the company’s producing artistic director) is relaxed about his dress code, too, but he also seems to attend to his appearance. Their parents’ death has brought the subject of mortality into the play. In fact, throughout Vanya …., the sense of mortality is never far away. The far more upbeat Vanya attempts to make peace between Sonia and the injustices she feels she has faced. (This includes being adopted as an eight-year-old.) Not only does Sonia fret that she has no future, she doesn’t even have answers to her past.
Striding briskly into the house is the glamorous Masha, a somewhat faded movie star and the oldest of the three siblings. She is well-dressed and still knows how to make an entrance. Tagging behind her new love interest, the handsome, much-younger Spike. Masha doesn’t waste time making sure her siblings know that she and Spike spend their best hours in bed.
Well-known Milwaukee actress Carrie Hitchcock is more than up to the challenge of playing Masha. Her every gesture and syllable reeks with the dramatic flair so important to this character. However, she goes over the top too soon, making her sharp, high voice somewhat irritating in the last half-hour or so. It robs the audience of having any sympathy for Masha, who certainly deserves at least a bit. Like many real-life actresses, she finds movie parts harder to find with each passing year. So when her new assistant (who we never see) suggests that Masha sell the country house, she jumps at the chance. After all, she reminds her kin, she paid for all of their parents’ medical and living expenses, as well as their own. Spike (nicely played as a “dumb jock” by JJ Phillips) is among Masha’s “antidotes” to aging.
Frightened that they’ll be tossed out with the trash, Sonia and Vanya try to distract themselves with preparing for a posh party hosted by the couple next door. Masha has arranged for all the costumes, of course, with hers being the nicest by far. She will play Snow White to Spike’s Prince Charming. In one of the best scenes, Sonia goes shopping for her own costume at a nearby thrift shop. She, too, knows how to make an entrance. When she appears for the party, she is simply dazzling in a black sequined gown (created by costume designer Alex Tecoma). As one guesses, Sonia steals all of Masha’s thunder once they arrive next door. It gives Sonia new hope that her life might not be over yet. Frequently interrupting the action is the always-welcome appearance of Rana Roman as a psychic house cleaner. Roman never fails to steal all the scenes in which she appears (to the playwright’s credit, he gives her an abundance of smart, snappy dialogue). As the appropriately named Cassandra, Roman not only predicts the future, she also manages to give it a hand. Finally, a young but wise-for-her age neighbor is brought to the house by Spike, who found her while he roamed the grounds. Pretty and passionate about acting, Nina is awed at the sight of Masha. However, Nina represents hope for the future, and she sees endless possibilities. As Nina, Elodie Senetra is excellent throughout, especially when she takes the lead in a reading of Vanya’s unproduced play. All this action keeps the play rolling along at a fairy swift clip, with one exception. It basically grinds to a halt when Vanya becomes upset at what he perceives as Spike’s show of disrespect during the performance. Vanya starts talking about what he misses from the past. Baby boomers will relate to all of Vanya’s touchpoints. It’s all foreign to Spike, though, who sits through the long monologue without ever catching on to why he is being upbraided by Vanya.
Although the play ends on a note that seems to restore family relationships (at least for a while), Durang doesn’t pretend that everyone will get what they want out of life. Real life often fails to end that way, and this reality is more satisfying than a sugar-coated finale.
