Hope Summer Rep does Chekhov modern and funny
HOLLAND–Sometimes a play is just for laughs. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the latest addition to the Hope Summer Repertory season, certainly has plenty. In addition to playwright Christopher Durang’s clever jabs at today’s society, director Jeff Steitzer has added lots of sight gags such as the maid’s hand fluttering ominously and various characters absently removing a bookmark.
But this fast-paced frolic is so much more than cheap yuks. Classic theater fans will enjoy the numerous references to the tragic comedies of Anton Chekhov including “Uncle Vanya,” “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard.” But most importantly, there’s enormous satisfaction as these crazy characters grow and change during the course of a frenetic weekend.
The basic theme–a country family estate about to be sold–is borrowed from several Chekhov plays. It’s the story of three siblings–Vanya, Sonia and Masha–whose parents were literature professors who named their kids after Chekhov characters. Vanya and Sonia have spent their lives at the family estate, caring for the now deceased parents, while Masha went off to New York to become a famous actress whose work has supported the estate and her siblings. Now, the pushy, arrogant Masha returns with a scandalously younger lover, Spike. Add in a powerful voodoo cleaning lady, Cassandra, and a too-cute neighbor girl, Nina, and you have a recipe for delightful disaster.
Friday’s opening night audience was certainly up for a good time, as evidenced by the wild applause when Sonia shatters a coffee cup not 10 minutes into the show. Shannon Huneryager is fantastic as the brooding Sonia. Her constant complaining is elevated to distinguished distress when she dresses up for a costume ball as Maggie Smith at the Oscars.
William Hulings is a wonderful Vanya, long-suffering and patient until he explodes into a show-stopping rant about all that’s wrong with our shallow world. Hulings’ best moments, however, are whenever the gay Vanya struggles for a better view of sexy Spike’s outlandish antics.
Noah Bridgestock is a definite scene stealer as hunka-hunk Spike, whether putting on a tricep-flex show in the background or exiting with a high-kicking howl. His reverse striptease is provocatively over-the-top, and Vanya isn’t the only one in the room craning to see what Spike would do next.
Kathleen Mary Mulligan has the right touch for the difficult role of Masha, the hateful heroine who must be convincingly beautiful, heartbreakingly vulnerable and viciously rude all at the same time. Mulligan pulls it off, along with sizable character growth.
Shonda L. Thurman is another eye-magnet in this cast, selling Cassandra’s voodoo magic and predictions with the eerie flutter of her hand, mesmerizing eyes and a haunting laugh. Bridgette Karl tops off a talented team as the darling Nina. Beyond her basic lithe blonde good looks, Karl has a twinkle in the eye and a crinkle of the nose that’s just irresistible.
Director Steitzer has developed very precise pacing. At one point the sisters’ argument dissolves into a pity party of Lucille Ball wailing. Vanya arrives with tea to soothe them. The wails simmer down slowly and all three siblings raise their cups of tea at exactly the same moment.
Scenic designer Kristin Ellert has created a formidable set with stone walls, massive beams, delicate wood trim and a huge fireplace surrounded by shelves filled with a lifetime of memorabilia. The show also features wonderful Snow White and dwarf costumes right out of the animated Disney movie, which add a lot of impact whether they were rented or created by costume designer Kathryn Wagner.
Between the laughs, Durang writes a wonderful tale about our times. And yet the parallels with Chekhov’s stories of a century ago add a spooky sense of timelessness. The siblings are passing mid-life with a fear that they never lived at all. Their relationships waver between love and hate, and their greatest satisfaction comes from the simplest things.
Vanya’s rant in the second act probably goes on too long. After his point has been made he’s still ranting and ranting and ranting. More Chekhov perhaps than modern theater. We got it already. But overall, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is a great piece of theater that will keep you laughing and give you something to think about on the way home.