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Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Nominated for six Tony Awards®, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is one of the most lauded and beloved Broadway plays of recent years. Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up, but their peace is disturbed when their movie star sister Masha returns unannounced with her twenty-something boy toy, Spike. A weekend of rivalry, regret, and raucousness begins!
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
April 12, 2020
A delightful play with a happy ending.
May 28, 2020
On a re-read, Durang's homage to Chekhov is much better than I originally thought (and rather close in quality to what is probably my favorite Durang play, 'Betty's Summer Vacation'). Part of my original perception was no doubt tied to the fact that - being a 'nice' play, by the author's usual standards - this is not the kind of play we've come to expect from Durang. There is some tempered bitterness and anger - and an explosion of frustration in Vanya's monologue near the end of the second act. But, overall, this is the... well, mellow play that Durang has said he found himself needing to write in his later years.
Its cohesion is leaps beyond the play he had written just previously, 'Why Torture is Wrong - and the People Who Love Them' (which had an almost-solid Act One and a disastrous Act Two). Perhaps that's because, here, Durang is on more solid ground, writing with a sharper focus on what he knows: he certainly understands disillusionment and, although 'V&S&M&S' isn't directly about the theater, he certainly understands the ones who inhabit it.
If the play isn't hysterically funny throughout, it is consistently humorous and it does have a pleasing amount of belly laughs (i.e., the voodoo doll!). It has efficient timing in the way it's put together. It gives each of the six required actors plenty of opportunity to give unbridled vent to comic skill. And it's a fitting, if unconventional, tribute to Chekhov.
Reading this during the pandemic gave me a weird feeling. We have so much to mourn right now, so much that's of national and global concern. And we have also lost theater. When will that shared experience return to what it was? In his long rant, Vanya makes a point of saying that, even pre-pandemic, theater had stopped being "part of the national consciousness". But, now that so much of consciousness itself has been threatened, we're left with the root of Vanya's existential dread: the loss of an already-endangered shared memory.
Its cohesion is leaps beyond the play he had written just previously, 'Why Torture is Wrong - and the People Who Love Them' (which had an almost-solid Act One and a disastrous Act Two). Perhaps that's because, here, Durang is on more solid ground, writing with a sharper focus on what he knows: he certainly understands disillusionment and, although 'V&S&M&S' isn't directly about the theater, he certainly understands the ones who inhabit it.
If the play isn't hysterically funny throughout, it is consistently humorous and it does have a pleasing amount of belly laughs (i.e., the voodoo doll!). It has efficient timing in the way it's put together. It gives each of the six required actors plenty of opportunity to give unbridled vent to comic skill. And it's a fitting, if unconventional, tribute to Chekhov.
Reading this during the pandemic gave me a weird feeling. We have so much to mourn right now, so much that's of national and global concern. And we have also lost theater. When will that shared experience return to what it was? In his long rant, Vanya makes a point of saying that, even pre-pandemic, theater had stopped being "part of the national consciousness". But, now that so much of consciousness itself has been threatened, we're left with the root of Vanya's existential dread: the loss of an already-endangered shared memory.
January 6, 2016
As with all plays and other things meant to be performed, I think you really need a cast and human vocal inflection in order to really understand the whole thing. That said, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike has its hilarious moments and its poignant moments. I'm excited to audition for this in a few weeks!
September 4, 2024
Quite funny if you like Chekhov, but really really gets let down at the end with a liberal boomer-esque “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOUNG PEOPLE - WE ALL USED TO BE HAPPY IN THE 50s!!!!” nonsense.
February 19, 2016
Although you do not need to be familiar with the works of Anton Chekhov to enjoy “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” I do believe you would more fully appreciate the very Chekhovian themes of this play, and would see it on another level, if you were.
I have not seen this play in performance, but reading it I did not find is especially hysterical. Clever at times and I chuckled frequently, but laugh out loud…not really. I think the performance dimension is what adds so much of the humor to this piece. The play reads okay, but again, I think it would come across as having more resonant themes in performance.
A strength of the play is the characters, and how readily we buy into their rather stereotypical roles. Although the characters are broadly written, you do feel a familiarity with all of them at times. Especially frustrating (in a good way) are the moments where the characters, particularly Sonia and Vanya, express discontent with life. Mr. Durang does a nice job of getting you annoyed with their lack of appreciation for life on life’s terms. The funniest written character is the housekeeper / soothsayer Cassandra. Her “prophecies” are some of the highlights of the text.
The play comes across as lacking however in some of its bigger moments. Vanya has a very long diatribe where he longs for the simplicity (as he imagines it) of the past. It has moments (some of them stellar) but overall it seems to fall just a little short. Another frustrating aspect of the piece is that many of the emotional transitions for the characters happen unrealistically fast, but such is the limitation of the genre.
Overall “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is an interesting read, and I believe would be an even more enjoyable performance. I certainly think the play merits rereading and I believe that like the best of Chekhov it will continue to yield new pleasures as you travel down life’s road.
I have not seen this play in performance, but reading it I did not find is especially hysterical. Clever at times and I chuckled frequently, but laugh out loud…not really. I think the performance dimension is what adds so much of the humor to this piece. The play reads okay, but again, I think it would come across as having more resonant themes in performance.
A strength of the play is the characters, and how readily we buy into their rather stereotypical roles. Although the characters are broadly written, you do feel a familiarity with all of them at times. Especially frustrating (in a good way) are the moments where the characters, particularly Sonia and Vanya, express discontent with life. Mr. Durang does a nice job of getting you annoyed with their lack of appreciation for life on life’s terms. The funniest written character is the housekeeper / soothsayer Cassandra. Her “prophecies” are some of the highlights of the text.
The play comes across as lacking however in some of its bigger moments. Vanya has a very long diatribe where he longs for the simplicity (as he imagines it) of the past. It has moments (some of them stellar) but overall it seems to fall just a little short. Another frustrating aspect of the piece is that many of the emotional transitions for the characters happen unrealistically fast, but such is the limitation of the genre.
Overall “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is an interesting read, and I believe would be an even more enjoyable performance. I certainly think the play merits rereading and I believe that like the best of Chekhov it will continue to yield new pleasures as you travel down life’s road.
July 3, 2025
2013: Enjoyed reading it as much as I liked seeing it. Beware of Hootie Pie!
2019: And I loved reading it a second time — six years later!! I swear I can hear the voices of the OBC when reading it. They were sublime and fabulous!!
2025: A wonderful re-reading experience.
2019: And I loved reading it a second time — six years later!! I swear I can hear the voices of the OBC when reading it. They were sublime and fabulous!!
2025: A wonderful re-reading experience.
March 26, 2021
Brush up on your Chekhov, first. I've given it 4, meaning 3.5. This often feels like an extended, undergraduate skit, at turns amusing and very funny, with some attempts at a message and with some brilliant virtuoso speeches tailor-made for auditions and all with an ending that Chekhov would have balked at (I groaned). By and large, I liked it more than I should, I suspect.
April 13, 2022
زندگی آدمها، با ترسهاشون، امیدهای به باد رفته که حالا شدن حسرت میگذره. خیلی خوب میانسالی و بحرانهاش رو به تصویر کشیده.
August 10, 2015
I was in Christopher Durang's Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All for You in college and I've read one or two other plays of his, but I recently picked up his most recent play which won the Tony last year and decided to read it after a local theater announced it'll be a part of their 2016 season.
Reading it made me wonder how the Tony voters choose the Best Play or Musical. I assume it has to be based on the production, so authors really get some great help from the directors and actors who bring their plays to life. I mean, if Tony voters were just reading the scripts, I think it would be hard for certain shows to win. I'm thinking about recent winners such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time or War Horse which may have won simply because their Broadway productions were fully funded with great spectacle (I haven't read either play but I know their productions were something that regional theaters might not be able to duplicate).
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is another play I haven't seen on Broadway, but the cast and director are well-acclaimed. The script doesn't seem like it would be too hard to produce anywhere, but the script on the page didn't wow me. Did David Hyde Pierce, Sigourney Weaver, and others create characters wonderful enough to win the Best Play Tony?
The story is interesting—Vanya and Sonia are two siblings (Sonia was adopted) who live alone in their Berks County childhood home who have little to do ever since their parents died. Masha is their older sister—a movie star who pays for the house and gives them monthly stipends. She comes home to visit one weekend and brings her boy toy, Spike, who is half her age and a handsome aspiring actor. Vanya & Sonia have a regular housecleaner, Cassandra, who shares her name with the Greek prophet who was blessed with speaking true prophesies but damned so that no one believes her. This housecleaner also shares this sixth sense to funny effect. The final character in the play is Nina, a 20-something niece of their neighbor who also aspires to be an actress, but isn't as full of herself as Spike is. In fact, her disposition is positively sunny all the time, a stark difference to elderly Vanya and Sonia who are mostly fed up with life.
The characters are interesting. I wonder how much Vanya is based on Durang (who lives in Berks County with his partner). There's a lengthy monologue he has at the end decrying the youth of today while also complaining about a lot of stuff he had to grow up with. I doubt Durang is actually this miserable, but it does seem like it could be a fun role to play (in 20-some years). The siblings all hate and love each other in realistic ways and each have their own moments to shine. Spike seems like nothing more than eye candy while Cassandra and Nina both have great scenes to play.
There are plenty of Anton Chekhov references from the three siblings' names to several lines they say. I wouldn't have gotten any of them (I don't think I've ever read any of his plays) had I not read the last 18 pages before reading the play. The Author's Note summarizes the characters and some of the story (with mild spoilers) and the essay My Life With Chekhov, written for The Lincoln Center Theater Review, is a nice summary of Durang's encounters with the Russian playwright. I highly recommend reading these before the play as a sort of primer for everything. There's really no reliance on being familiar with anything Chekhov wrote to enjoy the play, but I did like the allusions throughout. I was just disappointed in what was supposed to be the "Best Play" of 2013 while reading it—it's good, but perhaps it was the production that was truly great...
Reading it made me wonder how the Tony voters choose the Best Play or Musical. I assume it has to be based on the production, so authors really get some great help from the directors and actors who bring their plays to life. I mean, if Tony voters were just reading the scripts, I think it would be hard for certain shows to win. I'm thinking about recent winners such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time or War Horse which may have won simply because their Broadway productions were fully funded with great spectacle (I haven't read either play but I know their productions were something that regional theaters might not be able to duplicate).
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is another play I haven't seen on Broadway, but the cast and director are well-acclaimed. The script doesn't seem like it would be too hard to produce anywhere, but the script on the page didn't wow me. Did David Hyde Pierce, Sigourney Weaver, and others create characters wonderful enough to win the Best Play Tony?
The story is interesting—Vanya and Sonia are two siblings (Sonia was adopted) who live alone in their Berks County childhood home who have little to do ever since their parents died. Masha is their older sister—a movie star who pays for the house and gives them monthly stipends. She comes home to visit one weekend and brings her boy toy, Spike, who is half her age and a handsome aspiring actor. Vanya & Sonia have a regular housecleaner, Cassandra, who shares her name with the Greek prophet who was blessed with speaking true prophesies but damned so that no one believes her. This housecleaner also shares this sixth sense to funny effect. The final character in the play is Nina, a 20-something niece of their neighbor who also aspires to be an actress, but isn't as full of herself as Spike is. In fact, her disposition is positively sunny all the time, a stark difference to elderly Vanya and Sonia who are mostly fed up with life.
The characters are interesting. I wonder how much Vanya is based on Durang (who lives in Berks County with his partner). There's a lengthy monologue he has at the end decrying the youth of today while also complaining about a lot of stuff he had to grow up with. I doubt Durang is actually this miserable, but it does seem like it could be a fun role to play (in 20-some years). The siblings all hate and love each other in realistic ways and each have their own moments to shine. Spike seems like nothing more than eye candy while Cassandra and Nina both have great scenes to play.
There are plenty of Anton Chekhov references from the three siblings' names to several lines they say. I wouldn't have gotten any of them (I don't think I've ever read any of his plays) had I not read the last 18 pages before reading the play. The Author's Note summarizes the characters and some of the story (with mild spoilers) and the essay My Life With Chekhov, written for The Lincoln Center Theater Review, is a nice summary of Durang's encounters with the Russian playwright. I highly recommend reading these before the play as a sort of primer for everything. There's really no reliance on being familiar with anything Chekhov wrote to enjoy the play, but I did like the allusions throughout. I was just disappointed in what was supposed to be the "Best Play" of 2013 while reading it—it's good, but perhaps it was the production that was truly great...
December 10, 2013
I desperately want to see this play. Like with many plays, much is lost in translation when you merely read it. How different to see Sigourney Weaver as aging star Masha lamenting being cast as a grandmother and getting paid less than she did in her glory days then to read a faceless character you are somewhat ambivalent towards. I never connect as well to a play I'm reading unless there's a character I desperately want to play that I am imagining myself being.
And yet, it is funny. It is both current, three aging siblings considering their lives, and the state of global warming and the world in general, and ancient, with Cassandra, their maid, a modern version of The Cassandra, from Agamemnon touting prophesies at each turn of the page. Spike is the only character firmly routed in the current world while Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Nina are all Chekhovian (Chekhov, Anton). I would love to hear reactions from someone with less knowledge of classic theatre, and also the reaction of someone who understood EVERYTHING. Who knows The Sea-Gull and The Cherry Orchard and The Three Sisters like I know The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and A Game of Thrones.
Did I give it five stars because it's a Tony Award winner, and who am I to argue with the pros? Probably. But it also gave this 25-year-old a glimpse into the minds of those older than me. It did what all great art should do: it helped me understand a person different then myself. It may be funnier to someone who understands more Chekhov, but it made me want to dive back in and read Chekhov, and how many works can state that?
Most of all, I loved how beautifully Christopher Durang discussed the idea of a shared memory between the generations. How does a grandparent converse with a texting, tweeting teenager? What do they have in common? There are thousands of shows and everyone has their own tastes and opinions firmly staked, what can we all discuss?
"The Ed Sullivan Show was on...Richard Burton and Julie Andrews would sing songs from Camelot.' It was wonderful. It helped theatre be part of the national consciousness, which it isn't anymore."
And yet, NBC aired a live television broadcast of The Sound of Music this year. Maybe it was in response to the production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and perhaps it wasn't, but it was so popular that they are absolutely doing it again next year. Please, please do NBC! But maybe cast Audra as the lead this time? Or at least Lea Michele. Pretty please?
Read more of Jana's reviews at Jana's Library
And yet, it is funny. It is both current, three aging siblings considering their lives, and the state of global warming and the world in general, and ancient, with Cassandra, their maid, a modern version of The Cassandra, from Agamemnon touting prophesies at each turn of the page. Spike is the only character firmly routed in the current world while Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Nina are all Chekhovian (Chekhov, Anton). I would love to hear reactions from someone with less knowledge of classic theatre, and also the reaction of someone who understood EVERYTHING. Who knows The Sea-Gull and The Cherry Orchard and The Three Sisters like I know The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and A Game of Thrones.
Did I give it five stars because it's a Tony Award winner, and who am I to argue with the pros? Probably. But it also gave this 25-year-old a glimpse into the minds of those older than me. It did what all great art should do: it helped me understand a person different then myself. It may be funnier to someone who understands more Chekhov, but it made me want to dive back in and read Chekhov, and how many works can state that?
Most of all, I loved how beautifully Christopher Durang discussed the idea of a shared memory between the generations. How does a grandparent converse with a texting, tweeting teenager? What do they have in common? There are thousands of shows and everyone has their own tastes and opinions firmly staked, what can we all discuss?
"The Ed Sullivan Show was on...Richard Burton and Julie Andrews would sing songs from Camelot.' It was wonderful. It helped theatre be part of the national consciousness, which it isn't anymore."
And yet, NBC aired a live television broadcast of The Sound of Music this year. Maybe it was in response to the production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and perhaps it wasn't, but it was so popular that they are absolutely doing it again next year. Please, please do NBC! But maybe cast Audra as the lead this time? Or at least Lea Michele. Pretty please?
Read more of Jana's reviews at Jana's Library
June 23, 2021
Very entertaining
December 6, 2021
Entertaining romp of a play, looking at the characters of Chekov's plays and their themes of regret and aging, and applying them to modern day suburbanites.
October 30, 2021
Alright, and overall one of the most modern plays I've read.
October 10, 2019
این روزهای پاییزی سال ۹۸ ، کلاس های نمایشنامه خوانی استاد محمد چرمشیر را شرکت کرده ام و شنبه ها در محضر استاد ، از نمایشنامه هایی که خوانده ایم، حبت می کنیم و یاد می گیریم چطور بهتر و عمیق تر به نمایش و داستان و هنر نگاه کنیم.
کریستوفر دورانگ معمولاً در نگارش نمایشنامه هایش نگاهی پُرمعنا به آثار نمایشی موردعلاقه ی خودش دارد و ردِ پای آثار ساموئل بکت، ویلیام شکسپیر، آلفرد ژاری، تنسی ویلیامز، سم شپرد و آنتوان چخوف در کارهایش کاملاً هویدا است. او در نمایشنامه ی وانیا و سونیا و ماشا و اسپایک به نوعی ادای دینی کرده است به آثار چخوف، از دایی وانیا و باغ آلبالو گرفته تا سه خواهر و مرغ دریایی
شخصیت های نمایشنامه های دورانگ این توانایی را دارند که حتا در مواقع بحران هم عکس العملی خنده دار و طنز داشته باشند. اما وقتی به اندازه ی کافی مخاطب خود را خنداندند، درست در اوج آن لحظات شاد، با حرف هایی کوبنده آن ها را میخکوب کرده و با واقعیت های تلخ و اجتناب ناپذیرِ طبیعت درونی انسان ها و بحران رابطه در جوامع امروزی روبه رو می کنند.
وانیا و سونیا و ماشا و اسپایک نمایشنامه ای آفتابی است درباره ی آدم هایی ابری. از آن هایی که بعد از خواندنش می توان یک نفس راحت کشید و خوشحال بود که دنیا هنوز هم می تواند جای خوبی باشد برای زندگی.
نشر افراز این نمایشنامه را در ۱۳۸ صفحه و با ترجمه نسبتا خوب سیمین زرگران به چاپ رسانده .
الهه هدایتی
مهر ۹۸
کریستوفر دورانگ معمولاً در نگارش نمایشنامه هایش نگاهی پُرمعنا به آثار نمایشی موردعلاقه ی خودش دارد و ردِ پای آثار ساموئل بکت، ویلیام شکسپیر، آلفرد ژاری، تنسی ویلیامز، سم شپرد و آنتوان چخوف در کارهایش کاملاً هویدا است. او در نمایشنامه ی وانیا و سونیا و ماشا و اسپایک به نوعی ادای دینی کرده است به آثار چخوف، از دایی وانیا و باغ آلبالو گرفته تا سه خواهر و مرغ دریایی
شخصیت های نمایشنامه های دورانگ این توانایی را دارند که حتا در مواقع بحران هم عکس العملی خنده دار و طنز داشته باشند. اما وقتی به اندازه ی کافی مخاطب خود را خنداندند، درست در اوج آن لحظات شاد، با حرف هایی کوبنده آن ها را میخکوب کرده و با واقعیت های تلخ و اجتناب ناپذیرِ طبیعت درونی انسان ها و بحران رابطه در جوامع امروزی روبه رو می کنند.
وانیا و سونیا و ماشا و اسپایک نمایشنامه ای آفتابی است درباره ی آدم هایی ابری. از آن هایی که بعد از خواندنش می توان یک نفس راحت کشید و خوشحال بود که دنیا هنوز هم می تواند جای خوبی باشد برای زندگی.
نشر افراز این نمایشنامه را در ۱۳۸ صفحه و با ترجمه نسبتا خوب سیمین زرگران به چاپ رسانده .
الهه هدایتی
مهر ۹۸
July 10, 2015
I hadn't heard of this play or Christopher Durang before randomly finding it at a bookstore. I pay more attention to musicals than straight plays and have never watched the Tony's so its not too surprising that I hadn't heard of this successful play.
"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" takes place in Pennsylvania where two middle-aged siblings (Vanya and Sonia) live together. Their famous actress sister, Masha, arrives with her boy toy, Spike, in tow to interrupt their routine. Conflict and hilarity ensues.
My favorite character, Cassandra, the clairvoyant cleaning lady, didn't make the title, but she definitely should have. She's the only character who takes action, the rest just wallow. I loved her scenes and wanted to know more about her.
I would have rated this play higher, but Vanya's rant went on waaay too long and turned me off. He makes a point or two and then just lists random stuff that makes him mad.
Cross-posted on Gemna's Book Gems.
"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" takes place in Pennsylvania where two middle-aged siblings (Vanya and Sonia) live together. Their famous actress sister, Masha, arrives with her boy toy, Spike, in tow to interrupt their routine. Conflict and hilarity ensues.
My favorite character, Cassandra, the clairvoyant cleaning lady, didn't make the title, but she definitely should have. She's the only character who takes action, the rest just wallow. I loved her scenes and wanted to know more about her.
I would have rated this play higher, but Vanya's rant went on waaay too long and turned me off. He makes a point or two and then just lists random stuff that makes him mad.
Cross-posted on Gemna's Book Gems.
February 27, 2016
As a book to read, rather than a play seen in a theatre, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a pleasant, amusing work that one can read in under two hours. Movie star Masha, accompanied by her younger lover Spike, visits her brother and adopted sister at the house in rural Pennsylvania where they live. Two other characters are a cleaning woman named Cassandra and a young woman named Nina who is visiting relatives in the vicinity. The dialogue, which is generally funny, with a few laugh-out-loud moments, is chiefly what the play has to offer. The drama and plot are a little slight. There were probably some references to the plays of Chekhov that escaped me, since, to be frank, I admit I have never paid attention to the plays of Chekhov.
August 28, 2017
نمایشنامه ای درباره ارتباطات انسانی. روابط خانوادگی، دوستی و عاشقانه. احساسات و تجربه های آدمها و ناراحتی ها و شادی هاشون. درباره آسیب پذیر بودنشون و ساده بودن مفهوم زندگی. تو این نمایشنامه اطلاعات خیلی زیادی راجع به متون دیگر علیالخصوص متون چخوف وجود داره و همینطور اطلاعات زیادی راجع به فرهنگ و برنامه های تلویزیونی و... دهه 50 میلادی. موقعیت کمی طنزآمیزه و شخصیت نیمه خدا نیمه انسان کاساندرای خدمتکار که کسی جدیش نمیگیره عالیه.
August 24, 2014
Extremely funny if you're an intellectual theater goer in your 50s or higher, who knows their Chekhov, Moliere, Bergman and Maggie Smith, and has nostalgic longing for simpler times ...
I'm only some of those things ... and it was quite funny and poignant.
I'm only some of those things ... and it was quite funny and poignant.
August 5, 2015
....This is an extremely clever and intelligent play and I enjoyed it immensely. I only wish I could see a production of it at some time. It is literate, nostalgic and hilarious throughout. Great characters.
March 29, 2021
An extremely entertaining take on Chekhov from the reliably funny and absurd, Christopher Durang. A great cast of characters is the highlight of the script - and then there's that mostly naked man running around the whole time... What's not to like?
October 29, 2014
I had watched one of his plays on Youtube a few years ago and he uses a lot of great absurdist humor. I didn't like this play as much, but maybe it is one of those things that is better performed.
November 17, 2014
witty play with plenty of references to pick up on. my only critique is that i dont feel the ending resonated with the rest of the play.
February 2, 2015
A play about despair and hope, acting and aging, family and loneliness, Greek drama and Chekhov. I sincerely hope I will be able to see it performed some day.
June 15, 2024
I enjoyed this play. It’s very quick, and I really love the end.
December 3, 2024
Love it, agree with it. Five stars.
January 22, 2020
I am what one would call a theater enthusiast, I love reading and watching plays. Seeing the short play by Christopher Durang Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, I was first drawn in by the half-naked Billy Mangnussen on the cover and even more delighted when I learned that Durang is a queer playwright. The play, while very intriguing and hilarious, felt as if it was a bit of a chore to read through.
Over the course of three days, the play follows siblings Vanya, Sonia (who is adopted), and Masha all in the 50s. Vanya and Sonia feel as though they are stuck in life, as well as in their childhood home; all the while Masha is a seasoned actress of both television and film who chooses to visits her siblings unannounced, with her much younger boyfriend Spike, in hopes of selling their home. The quartet, along with Cassandra (the psychic cleaning lady), and Nina (the next-door neighbor/inspiring actress/fan of Masha) live, what seems like, an extremely depressing life. The only savior is Cassandra, as her outbursts of psychic energy help the other characters to realize that what they need most in their last stages of their life is family – convincing Masha to leave Spike and refrain from selling her siblings home.
I assumed that I would enjoy this play a lot more than I did. The characters of Vanya, Sonia and Masha were very unlikeable; however, that only enhanced the likeability of Cassandra, who in my opinion saved the play from being unbearable. The author, Christopher Durang, places themes of classical theatre throughout the piece as it is used to enhance the characters and the over-dramatic mannerisms. The play was very okay, that’s all I’ll say.
Over the course of three days, the play follows siblings Vanya, Sonia (who is adopted), and Masha all in the 50s. Vanya and Sonia feel as though they are stuck in life, as well as in their childhood home; all the while Masha is a seasoned actress of both television and film who chooses to visits her siblings unannounced, with her much younger boyfriend Spike, in hopes of selling their home. The quartet, along with Cassandra (the psychic cleaning lady), and Nina (the next-door neighbor/inspiring actress/fan of Masha) live, what seems like, an extremely depressing life. The only savior is Cassandra, as her outbursts of psychic energy help the other characters to realize that what they need most in their last stages of their life is family – convincing Masha to leave Spike and refrain from selling her siblings home.
I assumed that I would enjoy this play a lot more than I did. The characters of Vanya, Sonia and Masha were very unlikeable; however, that only enhanced the likeability of Cassandra, who in my opinion saved the play from being unbearable. The author, Christopher Durang, places themes of classical theatre throughout the piece as it is used to enhance the characters and the over-dramatic mannerisms. The play was very okay, that’s all I’ll say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2025
A member of my local community theatre has suggested this play twice for upcoming seasons, and I have finally had the chance to read read it through.
The play is interesting, but also a lot. I think my lack of experience with Chekov plays dampened my enjoyment of the script and left me feeling more unenthusiastic than anything. There are great moments, but there are also long sections that are boring. I never felt the phrase "Deliriously funny!" which is emulated on the cover was fitting. I had a few chuckles, and that was all. And, unfortunately, in my area, it is likely that the boring would win out over the hilarity of other moments, and the show would be a bust.
There are also very specific demands for this show from the ages of the three siblings to the physique of the male ingenue to Sonia's accent work. This would be a difficult show to cast.
The play is interesting, but also a lot. I think my lack of experience with Chekov plays dampened my enjoyment of the script and left me feeling more unenthusiastic than anything. There are great moments, but there are also long sections that are boring. I never felt the phrase "Deliriously funny!" which is emulated on the cover was fitting. I had a few chuckles, and that was all. And, unfortunately, in my area, it is likely that the boring would win out over the hilarity of other moments, and the show would be a bust.
There are also very specific demands for this show from the ages of the three siblings to the physique of the male ingenue to Sonia's accent work. This would be a difficult show to cast.
March 21, 2021
I read this as part of a modern theater independent study I'm teaching. It was requested by my students. I knew Durang from "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You." He's irrelevant and goofy. This play is no exception. This play is Chekhov as filtered through Durang's unique view.
I can't say there is much to discuss, but it is an interesting play with plenty of goofiness. There is also a several-pages-long diatribe toward the end about our modern awful age (and a nostalgic longing for the simplicity of a past where we licked our stamps) that may make the whole play worth your time.
In the end, it's about life and happiness, and acceptance.
I can't say there is much to discuss, but it is an interesting play with plenty of goofiness. There is also a several-pages-long diatribe toward the end about our modern awful age (and a nostalgic longing for the simplicity of a past where we licked our stamps) that may make the whole play worth your time.
In the end, it's about life and happiness, and acceptance.
July 28, 2021
I have really enjoyed what I have read of Christopher Durang, but this play didn't do anything for me. I just didn't get it at all, maybe seeing it would be different, but overall I am in shock that this play is as beloved as it is, and a Tony award winner to boot, I'll say it again, I don't get it. I typically love Durang's oddball style but I'm not sure what was going on here. There was no comedy, no suspense, no profound commentary on life or society, for me it was just fluff lacking entertainment value. I can accept I'm possibly wrong about this script so if you're a fan, the floor is yours, let me know what I got wrong. For now I will say once more, I don't get this play.
May 17, 2018
Such a wacky play and absurd, I loved reading it and getting to know each character. I analyzed Nina’s character for my class and she helps the family get back together just by being there with helping realize that Masha is going through her midlife crisis and that she should not be blinded by Spike and jealous of Nina. Vanya and Sonia both complement each other very well with there drastic differences, and you truly see Sonia grow.
Each character is develops, well not such if Spike or Cassandra.
Each character is develops, well not such if Spike or Cassandra.
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