Growing up as an only child, I often imagined what it would be like to have siblings and to be able to grow older with them. After seeing Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Spotlighters Theatre I no longer need to imagine what that type of life might look like. Written by Christopher Durang and Directed by Erin Klarner, this play encapsulates the ups and downs of sibling dynamics and proves that even as adults’ siblings will always have a unique and indescribable bond.
The scene is set in the Hardwicke family’s morning room in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the summer of 2006. As you enter the space the set Designed by Alan Zemla lends itself to feeling very homey, complete with a full staircase upstairs as you enter the space and a fully stocked bar in the back left corner. It is hard not to feel like you are in the Hardwicke’s sitting room waiting to be offered a cup of coffee or tea. All the various bric-a-brac and knick-knacks scattered on the various tables and walls also allow the viewer to see that this house has been lived in and well looked after for quite a while.
As the show begins, the sun slowly rises, depicted beautifully by Lighting Designer Jen Sizer, in this family’s morning room on what seems to be another normal day for two aging, introverted siblings. The calm morning for the two siblings Vanya and Sonia begins a slow spiral into chaos as their housekeeper and self-proclaimed psychic Cassandra warns of the trouble to come. The trouble with a capital T being their third starlit sibling Masha blowing into town for a neighbor’s costume party with costumes designed by Emma Sheffer. Masha also brings along her latest arm candy Spike. As the day grows to evening chaos descends into madness with sibling rivalries, the introduction of a young aspiring actress, and a looming threat of enormous changes hanging in the air. One wonders if the Hardwicke family can survive the chaotic whirlwind of events over the course of the evening that follows them into the morning after.
Even through the whirlwind of chaos a calming and reflective presence can be found in the family’s brother Vanya (Nathan Rosen). Rosen truly embodies Vanya and provides the audience with an insight into what being the peacekeeping sibling can truly be like. His openness and evenness throughout the production is completely visible and provides a soothing aura on stage, especially in moments of heightened chaos from the characters around him. I was truly impressed with Rosen’s delivery of Vanya’s monolithic monologue from Act 2. With such a formidable length of dialogue Rosen artfully engages the audience throughout the entirety of Vanya’s speech. His tone and emotion ebbing and flowing so naturally one could once again feel as though they were another sibling in the room listening to their big brother.
And where would a peacekeeping brother be without a melodramatic and eccentric sister to try and push all his buttons? Sonia (Terri Laurino) is just that sibling. Laurino’s nuanced comprehension of the dialogue is evident throughout the show creating a connection with the audience almost immediately as a person struggling to understand their place in the world. Laurino also exercises a mastery of comedic timing with her facial expressions and gestures. Out of the three siblings Sonia is clearly the more playful and childish sibling which to some could be off-putting. However, Laurino shows excellent restraint in not taking some of the jokes to that off putting level. I must also commend Laurino’s impeccable embodiment of this character. I do not tend to startle easily so to have been startled several times by Sonia’s actions in the first moments and at several points later during the performance I have to admire the level of skill shown in those moments.
Then there is the third but not to be forgotten sibling, Masha (Laura Weeldreyer). When the audience first meets Masha, you couldn’t help but feel as though you were seeing what Barbie might look like as a middle-aged washed-up actress. Weeldreyer portrays the part of the gloating but secretly insecure sibling with extreme poise and grace. Even in some of Masha’s crueler moments, Weeldreyer allowed the audience to peek behind the hardened exterior and see a woman who was just as frightened of change as her siblings and create some level of empathy for Masha. This is made particularly poignant when Masha is demanding rather than discussing with the siblings’ what costumes they should be wearing to the party. Weeldreyer gives the audience the ability to create their own opinion of Masha’s behavior without forcing one interpretation of the character’s motives onto the audience. One can tell that Weeldreyer is an expert at crafting a multi-faceted character that could just as easily have been played as a one-dimensional mean girl. Weeldreyer’s and Laurino’s unmistakable onstage chemistry and the natural flow of the familial bickering makes it nearly impossible to tell that these two are not actually sisters.
You can especially feel the abundant sibling like chemistry when Masha tries to flaunt her new arm candy, Spike (James Frost). The young, vibrant Ken Doll to Masha’s aging Barbie, Frost is adept at highlighting all of the ways he is different in both mind and age from the siblings. The audience is able to perceive Spike’s emotions and thoughts, or lack thereof due to Frost’s keen understanding of the purpose of his character in relation to the siblings. With such a firm grasp of comedic timing and confident stage presence it is difficult to imagine that this is Frost’s debut theatrical performance. I can truly say that I never thought I would find myself cackling at someone putting clothes back on, but Frost has proved that to be false.
While there may be no true antagonists to this story of familial squabbles, the siblings might certainly find the youth and beauty of Nina (Sarah Schwartz) to be a threat. Schwartz gives the impression of a well-meaning youth excited to be in the presence of one of her idols while still creating and underlying intention that she is aware of the threat her character poses, specifically to Masha. While Masha blowing into town certainly starts the chaos Nina’s insistent need to insert herself into all of the siblings’ creative ventures could be easily misinterpreted as overbearing. Schwartz plays the ingénue without any of the less favorable qualities that young naïve characters tend to possess. She performs in such a way that you can relate to her wanting to impress and please an idol that she has looked up to.
And finally, but certainly not least you have Cassandra (Melissa Banister). A name which is referred to as being similar to that of a character from Greek mythology, Banister does an excellent job at becoming the prophetic Greek chorus of one that no one heeds until it is too late. Banister’s mastery of the emotions behind her characters rants makes her character one of the sanest characters on that stage, even when waving a stick with bells on it around. I would definitely pay to have my fortune read by Cassandra based on Banister’s invigorating and downright hysterical performance.
Overall, spending an evening with this talented group of performers displaying one of the most eccentric families is one that you definitely won’t want to miss. You’ll leave with your sides in stitches from laughter, your eyes filled with tears and your heart full at being able to be a part of their crazy family.
Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike plays through April 30th 2023 at The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre— 817 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-1225 or purchase them online.
