The Community Players of Concord are back with another performance to commemorate its 90th season this weekend, and this is yet another one you won’t want to miss.
The theme for the Players’ year of celebration is 90 Years New (instead of highlighting being that old) and it came with the goal of bringing in productions that are new to the Concord area. And Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike fits that description perfectly.
“It’s a very different kind of play,” said Director Jim Webber. “It’s a comedy with a small group and limited technical aspects.”
The comedy that debuted in 2012 is the story about three siblings – two biological and one adopted. Vanya (the brother) and Sonia (the adopted sister) have spent their entire life living in the rural Pennsylvania home they grew up in, caring for their parents before they passed – and are now middle-aged and have no jobs.
“They’re certainly on an emotional rollercoaster,” Webber said. “(Sonia) feels she hasn’t lived and life has passed her by.”
Masha (the other sister) is a Hollywood movie star, who owns the home and pays all the bills, and has come back for a visit thanks to an invitation to an influential neighbor’s costume party.
Masha brings along Spike, her much younger boy toy after her fifth marriage has come to an end. There’s also Cassandra, the family’s cleaning woman, who just so happens to be a psychic who practices voodoo. Add in Nina, the neighbor’s pretty niece who is an aspiring actress, and that’s the cast. So unlike the Players’ last production, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which enlisted a cast of 51 and a 10-piece orchestra, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a more simple play, with just six characters and a single set of the family living area.
“I love doing comedies – and comedies with small casts,” Webber said.
The siblings have their ups and downs during the two-act comedy. Masha tells her brother and sister she is selling the house, leaving them unsure of what they’ll do next. She also wants them to dress up as dwarfs to her Snow White for the costume party. Vanya is interested in becoming a playwright, and Nina catches the eye of Spike, who is the reason behind Vanya’s epic second-act rant.
“He doesn’t like the changes that are happening in the world,” Webber said.
So as you can clearly see, there’s a lot going on for such a small cast and simple set.
While those either in their 50s, past their 50s or not quite there yet will relate to some of the realities of getting older, this show is really for anyone. And its set during summer, so you can forget about winter for at least a little bit.
If you’re familiar with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, you’ll recognize the character names as some from his works, but Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’s creator, Christopher Durang didn’t intend for this to be a parody of Chekhov’s work, but rather a mixup of his characters and scenes.
“It’s reminiscent of Checkov’s plays,” Webber said. “The general idea.”
It’s all about the dynamics of relationships – with family and others – and an interesting look at the inner workings.
“People, on the surface, are very chatty, but under the surface, a darkness starts to develop,” Webber said. “It really touches on a lot of things that go unspoken.”
And while you might think that a play with such a small number of roles would be easy to cast, it wasn’t.
“It took me over two weeks to find this cast. I wanted to get the best actors I could for this,” Webber said. “All of the parts are big parts.”
Stephen Lajoie plays the role of Vanya, while his wife Kim Lajoie is Sonia.
Sharon Sweet is cast as Masha, while David MacNeill is her boyfriend, Spike. Cady Hickman is Nina, and Barbara Webb plays Cassandra.
It has been a quick process of putting it all together. There was a read through in late December with rehearsals starting Jan. 2. Now a little over six weeks later, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will take to the City Auditorium stage.
Shows will be Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the final production on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and juniors, and are available at communityplayersofconcord.org. Tickets purchased before Wednesday will get a $2 per ticket discount. Audi box office hours are Wednesday through Saturday, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 2 p.m. For more ticket information, contact David Murdo at 344-4747, or nhdm40@comcast.net.
