By Marilyn Jozwik
Comedy is probably one of the hardest genres to pull off for community theater. Slapstick -- the pie in the face, slip on a rug, falling down drunk kind of comedy – is the staple of farces and is an easy laugh to pull off. But the subtle comedy that comes from true characters, witty dialogue and the right delivery can be tough.
In Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” presented by Theatrical Tendencies, there is a little of the former and lots of the latter to create one of the funniest comedies I’ve seen in some time. It is a tender story of aging siblings in transition, navigating a world they don’t quite understand. And in the end, it brings them to a place they can.
Mark E. Schuster directs the show with a deft hand for the comedy – and occasional pathos -- and is also responsible for the scenic design, which creates a warm, cozy setting for the Hardwicke family in their Pennsylvania farmhouse.
The show opens with siblings Vanya (Mark Neufang) and Sonia (Jillian Smith) sitting in their comfortable living room, looking out on their pond, waiting for the heron to arrive on this August day in 2013. Both unmarried, they’ve never left home and have spent much of their lives caring for their now deceased parents, professors who named their children after Chekhov characters. The property even features cherry trees.
Spike (Kevin J. Gadzalinski) makes a spectacle of stripping to take a dip in the pond, shocking siblings Vanya (Mark Neufang), Masha (Leslie Grider) and Sonia (Jillian Smith) in a scene from Theatrical Tendencies “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.” Photo by Katie Synold
Vanya and Sonia are bitter about their dull lives as they sink deeper into middle age, and snipe at each other mercilessly, which gets the comedy rolling. Sonia tells Vanya about dreaming that she was 52 and single, to which Vanya replies, “Were you dreaming in the documentary form?”
Their routine is broken by the arrival of their actress sister, Masha (Leslie Grider), and her much younger beau-du jour named Spike (Kevin J. Gadzalinski), who is handsome, buff and shallow. Masha has made a name for herself in B-movies and her earnings have kept the farmhouse and her siblings afloat.
Adding layers of interest to the show are the cleaning lady, Cassandra (Jaleesa Joy), and a pretty young neighbor, Nina (Madison Van Allen). Cassandra bursts unexpectedly into scenes with dire admonitions that hysterically mash-up literary (i.e. Greek tragedies) and cultural (i.e. The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour”) references. As her name suggests, she is an absolute joy to watch in this over-the-top role that adds a nice splash of spice to the show.
Nina, who Spike has his eye on, is over the moon at meeting movie star Masha. You find yourself smiling at Van Allen’s earnest and starstruck character, who ripples with excitement at being invited into this unusual family.
Cassandra (Jaleesa Joy) reads from a play Vanya has written while Nina (Madison Van Allen), standing, waits to read her part as a molecule to Spike (Kevin J. Gadzalinski), Masha (Leslie Grider), Vanya (Mark Neufang) and Sonia (Jillian Smith) in a scene from Theatrical Tendencies “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.” Photo by Katie Synold
Act 1 ends with Masha taking Spike and her siblings, as well as Nina, to a costume party she’s been invited to.
The aftermath of the party has brought change to the family that we see in Act II as we learn that Masha wants to sell the family home. More urgent pronouncements come from Cassandra, who warns the family “to avoid all real estate activities for the next 20 years.”
Sonia realizes latent social skills, while Vanya – at Nina’s urging -- gets the courage to present a play he’s writing to his family and friends. It is an unintentionally hilarious bit of dystopia in which Nina portrays a molecule.
Vanya, who is gay, presents his play and scolds Spike for looking at his phone during the “show.” Vanya goes on a tirade that Baby Boomers will surely relate to. He ties himself in knots, pacing and gesturing as he recalls the days of “Ozzie and Harriet,” Perry Como, Dinah Shore and the “articulate” Bishop Sheen; playing Scrabble and Monopoly; watching “Howdy Doody” and Tommy Kirk (whose contract, according to Vanya, was terminated by Disney fearing his homosexuality would become public) in “Old Yeller.”
Cassandra (Jaleesa Joy) and Vanya (Mark Neufang) get dramatic results from Cassandra’s voodoo doll experiment in a scene from Theatrical Tendencies “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.” Photo by Katie Synold
“There was solidarity,” Vanya cries. He bemoans that today “you can watch news reports that match what you think” and that we are so disconnected “we don’t even watch the same worthless things together.”
I loved the connection of Neufang and Smith as siblings Vanya and Sonia (who is adopted). Both Neufang and Smith are seasoned and adept at comedy, allowing their characters to grow and provide the depth and humor the playwright intended. Smith as Sonia puts her emotional subtlety on display when she receives a surprise phone call from an admirer. Neufang interacts wonderfully with all the other characters, putting just the right sarcastic spin on Vanya’s musings.
Grider plays the diva role perfectly, unabashedly extolling Masha’s beauty, talent, charm and success with a delightful mix of drama and disdain. Masha describes herself as “lovable monstrous” and Grider embodies those traits to a T. Gadzalinski as Masha’s boy-toy Spike maintains a frat-boy attitude and look of self-satisfaction, which make his bemused character even funnier.
These are wonderful characters that this ensemble cast has imbued with sincerity, heart and humor. In this case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts with a beautiful blending of talents.
Rarely have I been so entertained.
If you go
Who: Theatrical Tendencies
What: “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”
When: Through June 22
Where: Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis
Tickets/Info: www.theatricaltendencies.com