By Amber Stevens
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, which won the Tony award for best play in 2013, is being presented by The Neil Simon Festival, at the gorgeous Heritage Center Theater in Cedar City. Vanya is a playful mash up of playwright Christopher Durang’s style which boarders on the absurd and Anton Chekhov’s more traditional writing style and deserves its PG-13 rating with adult themes and some language.
I had never been to the venue before and found it to be very comfortable and spacious. Even though it is a rather large space, I felt the staging and simple set design allowed the audience to be intimately connected with the action and I loved that we even had a glimpse into Sonia’s “Cherry Orchard”. During intermission the theater offered concessions for sale, but also had signs that forbade any food or drinks from entering the theater, so I was hesitant to purchase anything feeling I might not be able to consume it in the brief 15-minute break. After intermission, the second act slowed down a bit and took a different turn as the characters started to look inward and realize some hard truths about themselves that allow them to connect with each other on a deeper level. This did require more focus from the audience as it was a change from the action of the first act.
I have to admit I have never heard of Vanya before, but armed only with the elusive title and my limited knowledge of Durang. I went into the evening looking forward to being surprised and hopefully delighted. I definitely experienced surprise along with conspiratorial laughter, commiseration, thunderous agreement, and of course delight with much of what the wonderful cast and crew presented. Director Ryan ‘Rev’ McLean touched a truly human note with these zany yet relatable characters.
I instantly connected with Vanya, played by Kade Cox, as he expressed his concerns over the differences in his two cups of coffee. I found his evolution as he starts to connect with the others in his life heartening and I was rooting for him when he finally can’t take it anymore and goes off on Spike in an epic rant.
I felt Sonia’s (Kirsten Sham) pain of being a caregiver without someone to truly care for who is convinced she has wasted her life and I rejoiced as a small spark of hope was rekindled in her after the party. I loved her sarcastic speeches and could completely relate to being marginalized and wanting to lash out at the world.
I even empathized with Masha (Alyson King) and her fight to stay relevant in a cut throat career and a desire to be loved whatever the cost. Although Masha is a character we love to hate and I was not too terribly saddened by events that give her a small taste of her own medicine, I found I was proud of her at the end and the realizations she comes to. Her boyfriend Spike, played by Trevor Messenger, was a scream and his daily runs made my day. I appreciated his ease with the character and his recreation of his audition for HBO’s Entourage 2 is delightfully terrible and a lot of fun to watch.
Cassandra’s (Isabella Giordano) Grecian chants stole the show for me, and I laughed every time she moved that one chair back into place no matter who happened to be sitting in it at the time. Nina, played by Olivia Sham, was deceptively sweet and innocent until you realized she was hiding a truly old soul and was in fact someone we all could learn from and her Dopey costume was adorable, kudos to costume designer Amber Chavez.
I wanted to applaud the efforts onstage more than I did, but I like others around me had a hard time knowing an appropriate time to show my appreciation as at times it felt like it was taboo to clap (which made for some awkward pauses between scenes).
I had a great time and I hope that this was the first of many trips to this wonderful part of Festival City. The Neil Simon Fest’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike made me laugh and made me think, and I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.
The Neil Simon Festival presents Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang.
Heritage Center Theater 105 N 100 E, Cedar City, UT 84720
July 3-August 11, 2018, Wed and Fri, 2:00 PM 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10-25
Contact: 435 267-0194
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