Come see me #perform in the #upcoming #liveperfomance of #BabywiththeBathwater by #ChristopherDurang! Hosted by @repcnyc in #NYC this #December! #Tickets on sale now! For a special #discount PM me by Dec 1!!! #inclusiontheater #inclusiontheatre #inclusion #inclusive #theatre #theater #nonprofit #specialneedsperformers #specialneeds #alterabled #disabled #badparenting #80s #funny #comedy #hilarious #live #show https://www.instagram.com/p/BqsfMvzHicB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1kykngyi741ms
How dare I forget to inform the readers of these weekly posts that I am in tech this week for my new show, which opens this Friday!!! Therefore, in traditional form, I will be highlighting the show which I am performing for this week's Musical Monday post! This has been a play I have wanted to perform ever since intermission of the Broadway production I saw in 2013. So, here we go!
Musical Monday date: 4/2/2018
Play: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Book: Christopher Durang
Broadway Run: March 14, 2013 - August 25, 2013
Awards Won: Tony Award for Best Play/Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play/Theatre World Award (Shalita Grant)
Other: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (David Hyde Pierce), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Kristine Nielsen), Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Billy Magnussen), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Shalita Grant), Best Direction of a Play (Nicholas Martin)
Fun Fact: The opening night cast featured David Hyde Pierce (Vanya), Kristine Nielsen (Sonia), Sigourney Weaver (Masha), Billy Magnussen (Spike), Genevieve Angelson (Nina), and Shalita Grant (Cassandra)
This was one of the best accidents I ever made on Broadway. I originally had a ticket to see another show, but ended up with an extra time slot. I walked into the John Golden Theatre on a Saturday afternoon, not knowing what the play was about, got a rush ticket, and the rest is history.
If you are around the Bay Area my production, in which I play Spike, runs at Coastal Repertory Theatre from April 6th thru the 29th. Tickets may be purchased at www.coastalrep.com Come see the show!
Tonight is the night that it all happens. The moment each actor has waited for, to prove themselves, to show off, to make the audience laugh or cry. All the hours spent learning lines, blocking, choreography and songs has now ended and we get to show you everything. The set is completed and our costumes are sewn. We hope you enjoy the perfomrance as much as we have enjoyed the process. Cheers to my wonderful cast and crew. You are all amazing and I'm honored to be part of this zany Christmas show! MRS. BOB CRATCHIT'S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE 7:30 pm tonight at 6th Street Playhouse www.6thstreetplayhouse.com #bobcratchit #mrsbobcratchit #theatre #holidays #christmas #achristmascarol #tinytim #scrooge #reindeer #santarosa #actorslifeforme #christopherdurang #6thstreetplayhouse
Vanya and Sonia are adopted siblings who reside in their deceased parents’ house in the Bucks County countryside. Masha, Vanya’s birth sister, pays for the house, the bills, and basically everything, thanks to a lucrative B-movie career. When she comes to visit for a weekend, bringing along a twenty-something stud muffin, aptly named Spike, the four engage in interesting, revealing conversations, attend a costume party, and are witness to a reading of Vanya’s first play, which is about personified molecules. Jealousy, loneliness, and denial drive Durang’s plot to moments of high-pitched laughter, thought-provoking lessons, and loving moments of intimacy. Director Linda Piccone found every one of these levels through her crafty staging, and triumphed in nailing all the comedy in Durang’s script.
Walter M. Mayes (Vanya) and Patricia Tyler (Sonia) began the show with coffee drinking, lake gazing, and mug throwing. Their well-paced conversation eased the audience into a very different kind of Durang play; this script comes as close to normal, human conversation as Durang has gotten, and the cast, as a whole, nails the job of making these conversations real. Mayes hits all of his levels, from sad and confident to joyous and aroused (especially when Spike is present) with a natural flow and consistent attention to his surrounding actors. The Act Two monologue (one of the best modern monologues for older men) was an acting highlight for Mayes, who let passion and intensity drive the meaning behind licking stamps and the value of not multitasking. Tyler began the show with a palpable drab demeanor that saw some light when she received an unsuspecting telephone call from a gentleman whom she had met at the costume party. As Sonia’s happiness and confidence picked up so did Tyler’s contagious energy. Her performance-within-the-performance was a comedy highlight for Tyler as she donned the demeanor and dialect of Snow White’s Evil Queen as played by Dame Maggie Smith on her way to the Oscars.
The energy that bombarded the stage when Judith Miller (Masha) and Jimmy Mason (Spike) entered the scene was outstanding, creating a perfect dynamic shift from the relaxed nature of Vanya and Sonia. Miller nailed Masha’s selfish traits without ambushing her fellow actors; her sibling chemistry with Mayes was wonderfully apparent, growing steadily during the course of the play. Mason, more than just biceps and a six-pack, brought a fantastic nuance to Spike by making him an endearing man-child who just wants attention and for everyone to like him/cheer him on. Mason found moment after moment to get a laugh while finding a balance between being the center of attention and sharing the laugh wealth with his cast mates.
The non-titular roles featured two extremely talented actresses, Damaris Divito (Cassandra) and Kelsey Erhart (Nina). The role of Cassandra, Vanya and Sonia’s housecleaner, is a demanding one consisting of monologue after monologue in a classical style, often making no sense in the present but having moments of truth in the future. Divito’s delivery of each line was brilliant, balancing comedic facial expressions with a passionate fortune-telling tone. Erhart made for an endearing Nina, a neighbor of Vanya and Sonia. Masha sees her as a threat to her for Spike’s affections, a suspicion that pays off but not in the way the audience thinks. Erhart’s connection to Mayes was a stunning display of subtext driving a deep connection that showed the audience exactly how similar Vanya and Nina are.
Major congratulations are owed to the Vanya… cast, crew, and team for putting on a fabulous production of a fabulous play. This show concluded Palo Alto Player’s 2015/2016 season, so be on the lookout for their upcoming 2016/2017 productions. Go see a show!
