Review+of+Sonia+Vanya...+etc.

Lily Houston THEA 2000 Review 27 February 2016 //Vanya, ////Sonia, ////Masha, and Spike // is a play about three siblings. Their parents have died, and Masha (a movie star) supports the other two siblings. The author does an amazing job of showing the personalities of each character to tell a story. It’s evident that the author thoroughly researched in order to gather enough information to create an elaborate back story for his play. The play seems to be a critique of present times compared to “the good-ole days,” maybe from Vanya’s monologue. The play also has elements related to the family dynamic. The main theme states that in the end, family is there for us when no one else is. Obviously in any play’s cast there are going to be “favorites.” And with that, comes characters that you just don’t like. Spike made me uncomfortable, and Nina, played by Rebeca Ispas, came off as less genuine. I’m not sure if her lack of being genuine was the way the character was written or the way she was portrayed in this particular production, but Nina seemed like a six year old, and was even dressed this way. Even though she was shown as immature, she still had a “flirtationship” with Spike who was definitely in his early twenties. Spike, played by JD Hyers, was just over-the-top, and he definitely played the part of a wannabe star who lacks self-awareness. With that being said, Sonia was played exceptionally well. She was brought to life by Katherine Butcher. Her accent as well as her demeanor seemed to make the story more comical and yet realistic. She said things others had problems saying. Sometimes I did not like Vanya who was played by Larry Cox. I feel like sometimes he was not portrayed as the playwright had envisioned. Also, his monologue about old versus new didn’t really fit. I felt like it took the theme of family and changed it to a tirade about millennials. However, I loved Masha. This was no surprise to me since Anna Pieri is possibly my favorite actress at UGA. Because of her previous role in //Skin of Our Teeth//, I already knew how amazing she was. She was a star not only inside of the plot of the play, but also in real life, too! When talking about the physical production, I have to mention a few key things. The first thing is the lighting. The lighting felt very realistic, well mostly in part because it was real! The lighting put onto the stage came and went as the day progressed. Also, the lighting fixtures in the house worked normally which was very interesting. My favorite thing about the lights would have to be when cars pulled up to the house. It looked like light was shining into the windows. Something that aided the great lighting would have to be the sound. While there wasn’t a whole lot of music or sound effects, the small amount did add an element of realism to the play. When the sun came up, there was sound effects of birds singing, and when the sun went down, a sound effect of crickets played. The music was a little weird. If you didn’t have a previous knowledge about the play then you wouldn’t understand the Russian music.  Next would be the set. The set was superb. The set felt like we were looking right into a house. The only complaint I’d have would be when actors left out the door and went up to the lake. That felt less realistic than other parts of the play because we as the audience had to imagine that’s where they were going. The actual pieces of furniture fit really well. I think everything was placed so that the staging was at an optimal point for the audience; however, much of what was on the stage wasn’t used. If it didn’t have a purpose then it was distracting from the action. The fireplace wasn’t used along with other elements. The costumes matched with each character. I felt like Vanya’s and Masha’s costumes were the best fits for the personalities. Most of what Sonia wore fit her persona, but her outfit to the costume party wasn’t as extravagant or jaw-dropping as I thought it’d be. Spike’s costumes were pretty in-line with his character. Nina’s costumes sometimes confused me. I think her costume while she was playing a molecule didn’t really fit. I’m not sure I know what a molecule would look like, but she looked like a Greek goddess instead of a scientific particle. Overall, the physical aspects of the play went above my expectations and were only a hair short of superb. The audience seemed to enjoy the play. The house filled with laughter and occasionally you could feel people cringing at parts like when Spike stripped down to his underwear. I saw this play with a guy that I am dating. The only thing that influenced my thinking of the play was really what he thought. With me being someone who loves to watch plays, I just wanted him to enjoy it, too. He told me during intermission that he actually was enjoying it. I heard him laugh quite frequently which obviously made me feel like the play was funny and applicable to more than just those of us who are “connoisseurs” of the arts. Afterwards, he told me that he enjoyed the play, and I did too. After seeing a play that I like, I tell people the aspects of it that I like, but this also goes the other way. Many times, and I hate to admit it but, I find plays strange, and I make sure that people know this, especially if I know their tastes and know they like mainstream ideas. I love for my friends to be involved in creative thinking so I love to share my ideas about plays. Inviting friends to plays or telling them about the play is a good way to engage them in finding their taste of theatre. I always take the time to discuss plays with other people, but mostly I talk to people who also enjoy theatre as much as I do and who have strong opinions about it so that we can carry on a conversation. If I found a play that I really enjoyed, then I would definitely search out other plays by the same author. I feel like the main reasoning for doing this would be so that I could see similar styles to something that I already know was good. I have to admit, I don’t read many plays. I watch a lot of plays, but reading them takes a while and can be confusing sometimes if a script is very detailed or long. Overall, //Sonia, Vanya, Masha, and Spike// was a play that I would recommend to any of my friends who want to laugh and also have their intellect challenged with some witty comments about plays and Russia. The acting was superb on most levels, and the physical aspect of the play was above par. The play itself had minor flaws, but the cast did an excellent job bringing it to life and overcoming any obstacles in the way of that.