Sam's+Critiques+2

Vanya Sonia Masha and Spike Critique 2 Samantha Krupica

//Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike// by Christopher Durang follows three eccentric middle-aged siblings and their comedic arguments and regrets. The play was overtly hilarious and a tad depressing, at the same time. While the characters seem specific and almost like niche personalities, they are highly relatable. Further, Durang was inspired by Anton Chekhov and references his work at multiple times throughout the play, however one does not need to know Chekhov to appreciate the play.

I believe that the author effectively told his story and the subject matter was worthwhile to me. The playwright often takes on pessimistic, yet comedic tones. Due to a depressing childhood, he has had a realistic take on the world from a young age, and uses comedy to help alleviate some of the pains of everyday life. These themes are highly evident in //Vanya//, with the main characters leading depressing lives, with large comical moments thrown in between the sadness. For instance, in the second half of the play, Vanya goes on a long rant about disappointment and change, but the moment is juxtaposed with the siblings coming together and forgiving each other. The play was also very strange, the first hint of weirdness being when Sonia exclaims that her father never molested her.

The main ideas of the play were complex; with a melding of Chekhov references, modern day references, comedy and drama. As for the modern day references, Entourage was also frequently used as a joke. The overall point of the play, I believe, is to appreciate the past and its hardships, but to still look forward and hope for the future, nonetheless. This idea can be viewed in the very last scene, where the stage fades to black with Sonia sighing, “we can hope…Always hope.” Regardless of the point of the work, it was simply enjoyable to watch and the author told his story in such a fun and memorable way.

The entire play was done on a single set of a homely northeastern living room. Occasionally the actors would use the stairs to the far left of the theatre in an attempt to spread out more and connect with the audience members. I found this usage of the stairs to be incredibly effective and brought the audience in for a more intimate feel on a proscenium stage, that would not normally be there. For instance, at one-point Spike hilariously uses the space to “stretch” for his morning run, and the audience was both uncomfortable and enthralled. The main set was not anything special, but it was not supposed to be. Further, I did see when they first started building the set and the finished product was exactly what the script needed. The play itself, was realistic and the physical setting matched that realism.

The sound and lighting of the play was not particularly distinctive, as I did not notice either at all. The only thing in regards to sound would be the Beatles song //Here Comes the Sun// which plays at the very end. Further, as this was a realistic play the lighting was meant to be natural and not creative, and it did just that. Also, the costumes fit the realism of the play, so they were not really noteworthy either. The costumes in the play, for the costume party were quite funny, and I believe, fit the playwright’s intentions.

The acting in this play was phenomenal. I truly believed that these grad and undergrad students were depressed middle-aged Pennsylvanians. They were vocally clear and concise and worked well with each other. The actress who played Cassandra, Lauren King, was a stand-out star. Her lines were hilarious and she delivered them perfectly, in my opinion. I even cried laughing at one of her dramatic speeches. A lot of her lines were taken from old dramatic plays like Shakespeare, but she added a bit of a comedic twist.Sonia’s part was also memorable. During the party, Katie Butcher is playing the role of Sonia, who is playing the role of Maggie Smith, who is playing the role of the Evil Queen, which I imagine is quite difficult. However, Butcher does an incredible job switching between accents and portraying the complexities overall.

Both Spike and Masha could have been real, professional actors for all I know. Being in theatre, I understand the importance of comedic timing and they always hit the mark. Spike (JD Hyers) was very much the comedic relief of the play, and while the audience was at first taken aback by his stripping and subsequent backwards strip tease, it quickly became more funny than it was uncomfortable. Masha (Anna Pieri) was so fun to hate, she was mean and self-centered, but a changed woman by the finale. Vanya (Larry Cox, Jr.), was very much a boring middle-aged man, and took the role of being the one grounded person for the entirety of the play, save his rant. His rant, in my opinion, was just a little too long and I got the jest of the speech about four lines in. However, the speech gave Cox a chance to display the width of emotions.

Also, there was something a bit off with Nina’s role. I do not believe that she was a vital character to the play in any sense. She was just unnecessary noise in the background. I believe that the actress (Rebecca Ispas) did a wonderful job, but script wise, she did not need to be there. Ispas did a good job of portraying the character, however. She mostly just provided support, that could have been written into the other main characters.

Additionally, the play was very stereotypical and almost racist at times. Cassandra’s entire part, while hilarious, was questionable at some times with her relation to voodoo and magic. Further, the women of the play were depicted as moody and emotional, while Vanya and Spike were level-headed and calm. Again, it was a comedy, so these aspects do not need to be taken quite so seriously, but the implications were there. These issues were brought up by a few of the audience members at intermission, and I even had a girl tell me that she thought Spike was a terrible actor, but I wholeheartedly disagree. So, the comments of the audience were very opinionated, but did not affect or influence me too much. During the play, I found that I was one of the audience members who was laughing the hardest, so I also was not affected during the play. I also forced two of my friends to see the play already and they loved it. I always take the trouble to recommend plays.

In conclusion, //Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike// was actually the funniest, realist, best play I have seen in a good while. It’s modern, yet steals from the classics and is a comedy, yet depressing for the most part. Thus, the complexities in the play make it a true work of art and I highly suggest everyone see it.