Ojai ACT

Feb 2, 2022 | Art and Culture, Cover Story, Emily Dodi, Ojai, On Stage in VENTURA COUNTY REPORTER

Gosh, it feels so good to laugh. That is one of the many thoughts that came to my mind while enjoying Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Ojai Art Center. The winning production, onstage through Feb. 13, offers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, courtesy of playwright Christopher Durang’s sharp-witted writing and a lovable cast directed by the inspired Taylor Kasch.

The play is a cheeky love letter to Anton Chekhov, from the characters’ names and details like the cherry “orchard” in the backyard to the loaded themes of regret, longing and everything tied to family and home. Make no mistake, though: While Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike abounds with Chekhovian touches, the humor is all Durang. In The New York Times, Frank Rich once noted that Durang is known for his “special knack for wrapping life’s horrors in the primary colors of absurdist comedy.” There is perhaps no better example of this than this Tony Award-winning comedy. 

The setting is a family home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and what a set it is. Designed by Kasch and brought to stunning life by Bianca Rice, the set is so realistic — from the towering trompe l’oeil stone walls to the upstairs library — it’s like a character in and of itself. It’s the picture-perfect setting for the players to draw us into the lives of their achingly imperfect characters.

Vanya and Sonia are siblings of a certain age who have never left the family home which their movie-star sister Masha has been bankrolling for years. The morning we meet them is like every other morning . . . until their psychic housekeeper, Cassandra (the hilarious Cynthia Killion), delivers a dire warning of impending doom. That “doom” turns out to be the grande dame herself; Masha (the gleefully over-the-top Tracey Williams Sutton) arrives with her boy-toy Spike (the delightful James Hamilton James) and announces that she is selling the house. The news unleashes long-held emotions and pushes each character to face truths about themselves and the world. What follows includes a costume party, a wild turkey, a couple of dwarves and a hint of Maggie Smith. In short, it’s not to be missed.

There are many memorable moments, including outstanding monologues laced with some of Durang’s most powerful writing. Laurie Walters imbues Sonia with a potent mix of innocence, anger and a beautiful glimmer of hope. Peter Schreiner delivers Vanya’s tirade about simpler times with turns of humor and heart-wrenching melancholy. Killion captivates as a highly skilled comedienne. Williams Sutton gives the larger-than-life Masha a wonderful vulnerability. James’ Spike is equal turns seductive and shady. Beltane Howden makes her impressive stage debut as the lovely ingenue, Nina.   

Richard Sven Shelgren and Anna Kotula produced a show that does Durang proud. The talented crew includes lighting designer Jerry Montanez, stage manager Sherry Owen, graphics designer Haley Culliton, and photographer Stephen Adams. The musical choices round everything out perfectly. 

In the times we are living in, it is a joy to laugh so unabashedly again. To do so in such wonderful company is a gift.