Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
By Christopher Durang
Directed by Nicholas Martin
Originally produced at McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, NJ.
September 7, 2012 through October 7, 2012
About the Premiere Production
It’s a lovely day at Vanya and Sonia’s farmhouse in Bucks County, PA. But instead of spending the morning strolling through their cherry orchard, these wacky siblings have their hands full with a prophetic cleaning woman, a neighborhood costume party, and a surprise visit from their movie-star sister Masha and her studly new boy-toy, Spike. Comic genius Christopher Durang (Miss Witherspoon, Beyond Therapy) makes a spectacular return to McCarter Theatre with this hysterical world premiere that turns Chekhov on its head. Durang’s signature blend of neuroses and absurdity has never been more endearing...or relentlessly funny.
Artistic Statement
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is Durang at his satiric best—witty and wacky and surprising—while at the same time filled with the pathos and emotional truth characteristic of the plays of Chekhov. It is this infusion of Chekhovian style that separates this play from Chris’ earlier work, allowing him to first poke fun at, but ultimately embrace Chekhov’s lyric imagery. What I love most about the play is how funny it is. The first time I heard it out loud, I (and everyone around me) was hysterical with laughter. The power of the humor lies in its truthfulness, and I’m afraid that each of us can find a piece of ourselves in this play. Chris manages, in the most sophisticated way, to use comedy to probe the human condition. In doing so, he delivers a play of great insight, beauty and humor. He draws upon Chekhovian themes (longing, effects of social change, frustrated hopes and wasted lives) along with his own experience as an artist in middle age to create a play that is funny and deeply personal.
-Mara Isaacs, McCarter’s Producing Director
Grant Statement
Because this production will likely include several high-profile actors, the primary rehearsal challenge we face is scheduling. As with any new play, an extra week of rehearsal will give us the much-needed ability to learn from the actors and continue to finesse the play. Comedy is an especially elusive form to understand without the performers in the room together, and there is only so much work a writer can do without actors. There is no replacement for that time in any process, and especially in the creation of a world premiere comedy. This extra week of rehearsal would play a significant role in helping our cast become comfortable with both the idiosyncratic humor of the piece and the rich details of the relationships that exist among the characters.
Director: Nicholas Martin
Set Design: David Korins
Lighting Design: Justin Townsend
Sound Design: Mark Bennett
Costume Design: Emily Rebholz
Casting Director: Daniel Swee
Cast: David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen, Sigourney Weaver, Billy Magnussen, Shalita Grant, Genevieve Angelson
Award Wins and Nominations
Tony Award®
Best Play
2013 Winner
Produced by Joey Parnes , Larry Hirschhorn , Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino , Martin Platt & David Elliott , Pat Flicker Addiss , Catherine Adler , John O'Boyle , Joshua Goodman , Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler , Cricket Hooper Jiranek/Michael Palitz , Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub , Radio Mouse Entertainment , ShadowCatcher Entertainment , Mary Cossette/Barbara Manocherian , Megan Savage/Meredith Lynsey Schade , Hugh Hysell/Richard Jordan , Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Ron Simons , S.D. Wagner and John Johnson ; Produced in association with McCarter Theatre Center (Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Timothy Shields, Managing Director; Mara Isaacs, Producing Director) and Lincoln Center Theater (André Bishop: Artistic Director; Bernard Gersten: Executive Producer)
Written by Christopher Durang
Drama Desk Award
Outstanding Play
2013 Winner
Produced by Joey Parnes , Larry Hirschhorn , Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino , Martin Platt & David Elliott , Pat Flicker Addiss , Catherine Adler , John O'Boyle , Joshua Goodman , Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler , Cricket Hooper Jiranek/Michael Palitz , Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub , Radio Mouse Entertainment , ShadowCatcher Entertainment , Mary Cossette/Barbara Manocherian , Megan Savage/Meredith Lynsey Schade , Hugh Hysell/Richard Jordan , Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Ron Simons , S.D. Wagner and John Johnson ; Produced in association with McCarter Theatre Center (Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Timothy Shields, Managing Director; Mara Isaacs, Producing Director) and Lincoln Center Theater (André Bishop: Artistic Director; Bernard Gersten: Executive Producer)
Written by Christopher Durang
Theatre World Award
2013 Recipient
Shalita Grant
Subsequent Productions
Goodman Theatre in Chicago, IL Spring/Summer 2015
Weston Playhouse in Weston, VT July 17, 2014 - July 26, 2014
Bucks County Playhouse in Bucks County, PA July 17, 2014 - August 10, 2014
B Street Theatre in Sacramento, CA April 20, 2014 - June 1, 2014
Alley Theatre in Houston, TX May 23, 2014 - June 15, 2014
Gable Stage in Coral Gables, FL May 17, 2014 - June 15, 2014
The Old Globe in San Diego, CA May 17, 2014 - June 22, 2014
Philadelphia Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA March 21, 2014 - April 20, 2014
Kansas City Repertory Theatre in Kansas City, MO March 14, 2014 - April 6, 2014
Tennessee Women's Theater Project in Nashville, TN February 28, 2014 - March 16, 2014
Uptown Players in Dallas, TX February 14, 2014 - March 9, 2014
Red Barn Theatre in Key West, FL January 28, 2014 - March 1, 2014
Asolo Repertory Theatre in January 22, 2014 - April 12, 2014
Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI November 21, 2013 - December 22, 2013
City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, PA October 12, 2013 - November 3, 2013
FUSION Theatre Company in Albuquerque, NM September 5, 2013 - September 28, 2013
On Broadway at the John Golden Theatre New York, NY March 5, 2013 - August 25, 2013
Lincoln Center Theater in New York, NY October 25, 2012 - January 13, 2013
Actor's Theatre of Charlotte in Charlotte, NC October 16, 2014 - November 8, 2014
Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, AL January 20, 2015 - February 8, 2015
Arena Stage in Washington, DC April 3, 2015 - May 3, 2015
Arizona Theatre Company in Tucson, AZ September 13, 2014 - October 4, 2014
Asolo Repertory Theatre in January 22, 2014 - April 12, 2014
Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville, GA October 1, 2015 - October 25, 2015 (Co-production with Horizon Theatre Company)
Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, CA September 20, 2013 - October 20, 2013
Center Repertory Company in Walnut Creek, CA October 23, 2015 - November 21, 2015
Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, CA January 29, 2014 - March 9, 2014
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in Cincinnati, OH April 25, 2015 - May 23, 2015 (Co-production with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis)
CityRep in Oklahoma City, OK November 13, 2014 - November 23, 2014
Cleveland Play House in Cleveland, OH April 3, 2015 - April 26, 2015 (Co-production with Geva Theatre Center)
Company of Fools in Sun Valley, ID July 1, 2015 - July 25, 2015
Denver Center Theatre Co in Denver, CO October 10, 2014 - November 16, 2014
Florida Repertory Theatre in Fort Myers, FL October 28, 2014 - November 22, 2014
Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY May 5, 2015 - May 31, 2015 (Co-production with Cleveland Play House)
Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples, FL January 15, 2015 - February 8, 2015
Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN July 19, 2014 - August 31, 2014
Harlequin Productions in Olympia, WA January 21, 2016 - February 13, 2016
Horizon Theatre Co in Atlanta, GA May 15, 2015 - June 28, 2015 (Co-production with Aurora Theatre)
Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, MA January 2, 2015 - February 1, 2015
Jobsite Theater in Tampa, FL February 24, 2016 - March 20, 2016
Lean Ensemble Theater in Hilton Head Island, SC May 5, 2016 - May 8, 2016
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre in Milwaukee, WI August 11, 2016 - August 28, 2016
Nashville Repertory Theatre in Nashville, TN April 9, 2015 - April 25, 2015
New Stage Theatre in Jackson, MS April 18, 2017 - April 30, 2017
Off Square Theatre Company in Jackson, WY October 28, 2016 - October 29, 2016
Oregon Contemporary Theatre Eugene, OR May 20, 2016 - June 12, 2016
PCPA: Pacific Conservatory Theatre in Santa Maria, CA June 28, 2018 - July 22, 2018
Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake, NY July 23, 2015 - August 7, 2015
Perseverance Theatre in Douglas, AK June 28, 2014 - September 21, 2014
Pistarckle Theater in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands November 13, 2014 - November 29, 2014
PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, NC September 17, 2014 - October 5, 2014
Portland Center Stage in Portland, OR January 10, 2015 - February 8, 2015
PURE Theatre in Charleston, SC September 12, 2014 - October 4, 2014
South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA September 30, 2018 - October 21, 2018
Syracuse Stage in Syracuse, NY September 24, 2014 - October 12, 2014
The Cider Mill Playhouse in Endicott, NY March 3, 2016 - March 20, 2016
The Public Theatre in Lewiston, ME January 23, 2015 - February 1, 2015
The Repertory Theatre of St Louis in St Louis, MO March 18, 2015 - April 12, 2015 (Co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park)
The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC March 18, 2016 - April 2, 2016
Trustus Theatre in Columbia, SC September 12, 2014 - September 27, 2014
Uptown Players in Dallas, TX February 14, 2014 - March 9, 2014
Vermont Stage in Burlington, VT October 8, 2014 - October 26, 2014
Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond, VA April 24, 2015 - May 17, 2015
News
Goodman Theatre Will Present Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike in 2015
Playbill.com
April 8, 2014
Theater review: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Philadelphia City Paper
April 3, 2014
Christopher Durang to Star in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Bucks County Playhouse
Playbill.com
March 30, 2014
Main Line director helms Tony Award-winning play 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike'
Mainline Media News
Match 24, 2014
Best Play: 'Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike' Wins At 2013 Tony Awards
Huffington Post
June 9, 2013
Sigourney Weaver loves playing a self-centered, over the hill movie star
Oregon Live
April 26, 2013
Laugh Out Loud With Sigourney Weaver and Snow White
Advocate.com
April 28, 2013
‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ Moving to Broadway
The New York Times
January 29, 2013
'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' is delightfully daffy
NorthJersey.com
December 6, 2012
"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
WNYC
November 29, 2012
'Vanya & Sonia' & Yale
Variety
November 15, 2012
It’s All in the Family: Durang Offers Up a Charmingly Neurotic Take on Chekhov
The New York Observer
November 14, 2012
Chekhov mashup speaks to our times
USA Today
November 13, 2012
Review: David Hyde Pierce, Sigourney Weaver channel their inner Chekhov
The Salt Lake Tribue
November 13, 2012
Chekhov for chuckles in the US
The New York Post
November 13, 2012
Insecure Namesakes With a Gloomy Worldview
The New York Times
November 12, 2012