VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE – Written by Christopher Durang; Directed by John Ashton.  Produced by Town Hall Arts Center (Presented at 2450 Main Street, Littleton) through February 9th.  Tickets available at 303-794-2787 or Townhallartcenter.org. 

Holy crap!!  This is a good time to be a theatre-goer in Denver and surrounds.  Everywhere you look there’s amazing theatre going on.  I saw four shows this weekend and every one of them was smashing.  Now here’s another preview of the show being performed at Town Hall.  They should have put the phone number in the program because as soon as you see this gem, you will want to order a second set of tickets to see it again. 

Christopher Durang’s gift of droll, outrageous sense of humor hits a new level in this comedy from 2012 which won him a Tony for Best Play.  His scripts often utilize family dysfunction as a source of humor expressed as black comedy.  This is a prime example. 

Vanya and Sonia are sort of brother and sister living in the family house after having cared for their mutual parents to the point that they were unemployable by the time the parents were deceased.  Their life has become uneventful and boring.  The biggest thrill of the day is when a blue heron visits the lake in the back of the house.  A human dynamo in the form of their completely opposite sister, Masha, whirls back into their life.  She is a successful actress who has been sending money home to keep them both in the style to which they have become accustomed.  She brings with her a hot young boyfriend who has a disturbing effect on both Vanya and Sonia.  Masha is just a hair past her prime but not willing to admit to her need to now take “older” roles to keep working. There’s the set-up.  How she upends her sibling’s tranquil life with her announcement of having to sell the house, the changes she wrought just by her presence, and the effect that they have on her. 

Now cast six brilliant actors to work this out on stage and you’ve got an evening in the theatre that will leave you chuckling for weeks after.  Bernie Cardell is a well-known actor-director-producer around town who nails the sluggish Vanya who springs into life with the appearance of his sister . . . . and her boy toy.  But the change is almost too much for him leading to an emotional tirade that is one of the funniest things you’ll ever see on stage.  Denver playgoers have gotten so used to Bernie as a talented director that we forget he is such a good director because he was an actor first.  He is experienced in the long-form monologue having explained the whole comic situation at the end of Spotlight Theatre’s version of RUMORS and Town Hall’s musical monologue in THE PRODUCERS.  It’s no wonder you are laughing tears by the end of his long-winded brilliant explosion of frustration during this performance. 

He is perfectly paired with Gin Walker as his beautiful but bored sister Sonia.  She is convinced that her life is over – nothing different is ever going to happen and she has wasted every chance she ever had and she isn’t going to get any more.  The blue heron is it!  When changes do occur after a fateful party, her self-deprecating humor is lovely to behold.  Her self-satisfaction at – for once – besting her movie star sister brings an unseen and unexpected sparkle back to her life. 

Thirdly is the arrival of self-important, self-obsessed Masha, the movie star sister, given delightful life by the overwhelming Maggie Lamb who enters the world of her siblings like a tornado. She has had a great career but has fallen into self-doubt and fear of losing her looks and her talent.  This particular boy toy she brought along is designed to impress her siblings and bolster her ego.  But her insecurity betrays her efforts at presenting herself as desired and desirable.  Having perfected the Grande hair toss but little else, she becomes fearfully aware of her shallowness.  She is, however, genuinely fond of her brother and sister and accepts her role in the family with grace and understanding. 

The more minor but equally important roles are brought to life by Beau Fisher as Spike, Sanya Bhatia as Cassandra, and Kayleigh Bernier as Nina.  Spike is a wannabe actor obsessed with body image which needs to be acknowledged by his audience of two.  He may have something deeper in his being but he hides it well.  But we learn that he has potential as an actor because he managed to fool Masha for a time.  Cassandra is the cleaning woman with psychic powers.  She occasionally has a little spasm of precognition that proves true in unexpected ways.  Her portrayal of the no-holds-barred incongruous presence in the house is chuckle-inducing every time she appears.  A kind of “What’s she going to do now?” phenomenon.  Kayleigh as Nina is the most normal person in the room.  She’s impressed by having the opportunity to meet an actress she has seen on the big screen as she is a fledgling actress herself.  Kayleigh’s talent at underplaying her role only emphasizes how important she is to the story and how charming she is as a character. 

We can’t leave out the artistry of the folks who make this production work so well.  A lot of it weighs on the shoulders of Director John Ashton, a very droll and funny man himself.  He obviously understands the undertones of Durang’s writing and pulled all of the humor possible out of the script and cast well the actors as his partners in joy.  Good job, Mr. Ashton.  The environment in which the actors work was designed by Brian Miller, built by Mike Haas and his crew, adorned by Becky Toma, and lit by Lighting Designer Emily Maddox (the illusion of light off the lake was sweet).  Curt Behm provided appropriate sound effects and Jessie Page designed the clothing including the silly Snow White costume and the drop-dead gorgeous gown Sonia gets to wear to the party.  And Hannah Tripp as the Stage Manager and her crew keep everything on track.  A team working in tandem to create great (and funny) art. 

Well, there you have it!  And you better get tickets quickly.  Short run and great buzz are selling out every performance.  This is a “run – don’t walk” kind of event. 

A WOW factor of 9.5!! 

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