Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Firehouse Theater Company: 8/29 – 9/26
L-R: Mollie Horne, Caitlin Conklin, Lisa Young, Stephen Maestas and Jennifer Bass with Keegan O'Brien above.
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha
and Spike” is now one of my favorite Christopher Durang plays. Everyone should
laugh a lot at this Firehouse Theatre production that sends up Chekhov as well as many of his famous characters. You don’t need to be a culture vulture to enjoy the
show either. There’s a world of fun in playwright Durang’s weird and wacky play
that also includes a psychic maid and a Hollywood muscle boy.
Steven Maestas and Caitlin Conklin perform
the roles of the kvetching Vanya and Sonia respectively. It’s a treat having
Maestas onstage again as the depressed Vanya. Ms. Conklin conveys Sonia’s angst
with all the body language of the martyred and down trodden.
Jennifer Bass portrays Masha,the movie
star who visits Vanya and Sonia with her boy toy, Spike. Ms. Bass’s portrayal
of Masha is a whirlwind of effusive brio that’s a hoot.
Keegan
O’Brien’s Spike, is a muscular lad with a propensity to disrobe (although not
completely) and perform acts of Cirque de Soleil-like contortion at choice moments in the show.
O’Brien who recently took second place in the overall physique category at the
annual MuscleMania Mile High competition, is also a very fine comic actor.
Lisa Young’s performance in the role of Cassandra
is hilarious. Just as in the plays of Aeschylus her character is gifted with
psychic abilities for reading the future and cursed with the knowledge that no
one will ever believe her.
Near final curtain Vanya agrees to let Nina,
a fetching Mollie Horne, read his half-baked play within the play. Spike loses
interest and begins to text. This enrages Vanya who unleashes a preachy
monologue that one might wish had been shortened in the final edit.
Jeffrey Jesmer’s scenic design is pleasing
to the eye and beautifully appointed. The very fine lighting and sound designs
have been done by T. Marc Stevens. Deborah Montgomery and Kris Paddock are
responsible for the hysterical costume design.
It’s Steven Tangedal’s best direction
since the halcyon days of Theatre on Broadway.
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