Durang takes on Chekhov in Island Players’ latest show
The play’s title is “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” and if you’re a theater fan or studied literature in college, you probably know that there are some references to the works of Anton Chekhov in there.
But you don’t have to know Chekhov to appreciate Christopher Durang’s wildly funny play, which opens this weekend at Island Players in Anna Maria.
“You could enjoy this even if you only know Chekhov as a character in ‘Star Trek,’ ” said James Thaggard, who is directing the Island Players production. “Durang said that he didn’t write a parody of Chekhov, he took a bunch of Chekhov themes and characters and put them into a blender.”
In fact, Thaggard said, it’s by far the most accessible of all Durang’s comedies.
Even if you just know the titles of his four masterpieces, ‘The Three Sisters,’ ‘Uncle Vanya,’ ‘The Cherry Orchard’ and ‘The Seagull,’... that will get you a long way in this show.
James Thaggard
Before “Vanya,” Durang was known for edgy and absurdist comedies that were adored by serious theater fans. His best-known plays were “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All to You” and “Beyond Therapy.” (Director Robert Altman made a film version of “Beyond Therapy,” and Durang hated it.) Several of his plays, including “Vanya,” “For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls” (a parody of “The Glass Menagerie”), and “The Actor’s Nightmare” revolve around theater and literature.
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” premiered Off-Broadway in 2012 and transferred to Broadway a year later, with a cast that included David Hyde Pierce and Sigourney Weaver. (Weaver is along-time friend of Durang who appears in many of his plays. There’s even, Thaggard points out, a slightly veiled poke at Weaver’s Alien” franchise in “Vanya.”) It ended up winning the Tony Award for Best Play in 2013, and has become popular with theaters around the country. (Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota staged it a few years back.)
The story has to do with adult siblings who have been caretakers for the parents, who have recently died. They still live in the family home where they grew up.
“They realize that they have never built lives of their own,” Thaggard said. “The third sibling, Masha, has gone on to become a movie star. She comes home and she has taken up with a new boy-toy.”
The three siblings all have names of famous Chekhov characters but they’re not the same characters at all. Their parents, the play explains, were university professors engaged in community theater.
Masha, whose career is slacking, wants to sell the family home, much to the distress of Vanya and Sonia. So the basic plot owes something to the story of “The Cherry Orchard.”
Despite some slightly esoteric references, Durang’s comedy is meant to appeal to wide audiences.
I’ve been doing this pushing 50 years. This is absolutely the most fun I’ve ever had with a cast.
James Thaggard
People with a bit of knowledge of Chekhov will get a few extra chuckles, though.
“Even if you just know the titles of his four masterpieces, ‘The Three Sisters,’ ‘Uncle Vanya,’ ‘The Cherry Orchard’ and ‘The Seagull,’ ” Thaggard said, “Even if you just know the titles and nothing else, that will get you a long way in this show.”
Besides the script, Thaggard said, the production boasts and exceptional cast that includes some Island Players newcomers.
“I’ve been doing this pushing 50 years,” he said. “This is absolutely the most fun I’ve ever had with a cast. They go home and they think about the play and when they come back the next day they’ve come up with something that has me rolling in the aisles.”
Details: May 5-14, Island Players, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 2 p.m. Sunday. $20. 941-778-5755, theislandplayers.org.
Marty Clear: 941-708-7919, @martinclear
This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Durang takes on Chekhov in Island Players’ latest show."