Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
| Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike | |
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| Written by | Christopher Durang |
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| Date premiered | September 7, 2012 |
| Place premiered | McCarter Theatre, Princeton, New Jersey |
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a comedy play written by Christopher Durang. The story revolves around the relationships of three middle-aged single siblings, two of whom live together, and takes place during a visit by the third, Masha, who supports them. They discuss their lives and loves, argue, and Masha threatens to sell the house. Some of the show's elements were derived from works of Anton Chekhov, including several character names, the play's setting in a cherry orchard, and the theme of the possible loss of an ancestral home.
The play premiered at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey in 2012, followed by an Off-Broadway production later the same year. It transferred to Broadway in 2013. The original McCarter, Off-Broadway, and Broadway casts included David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen, Sigourney Weaver and Billy Magnussen. Subsequently, the play has been produced in Tennessee, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Arizona, Washington, Massachusetts, Missouri, Wyoming, Georgia, South Carolina and the District of Columbia.
Critics praised Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike as a humorous adaptation of Chekhov themes that doesn't require familiarity with Chekhov. The original Broadway production proved to be a commercial success, recouping its $2.75 million investment in under four months. In 2013, it won the Tony Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, among other awards.
Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia live in the family home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Named after Chekhov's characters by their theater-enthusiast professor parents, Vanya and Sonia have not had to grow up. After spending their adulthood looking after their now-dead parents, neither has a job, and money is provided by their movie star sister Masha, who owns the house and pays the bills. Vanya (who is gay) and Sonia (who is forever reminding everyone that she was adopted) spend their days reflecting on their lost chances, debating whether the grove of nine cherry trees on their property constitutes an orchard, and bemoaning their rather Chekhovian lot in life. The only other resident of the house is their cleaning woman Cassandra, who, like her namesake, is prone to making dire prophecies that no one believes.
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