Island Players delight with twisted homage to Chekhov

The first thing is, you have to congratulate Island Players for taking on a Christopher Durang play. Durang is known for edgy, sometimes even harsh, absurdist plays, so he’s not the kind of playwright who’s likely to pack houses at a community theater in a beach town.

Next, you have to congratulate Island Players for doing such a great job. “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is certainly Durang’s most user-friendly play — on a superficial level, it’s a domestic sitcom — but it has elements that are tricky and demanding. Director James Thaggard and his cast do some great work, and the opening night audience laughed out loud for two and half solid hours.

The story of the play has two adults siblings who have lived in the same house for their entire lives. They’ve spent years taking care of their parents, who have recently died, and have never built lives of their own.

Their sister, a famous actress, has been supporting them. She comes home for a visit and announces that she’s selling the house, which is in her name. The two other siblings have no money of their own and no job skills, so they don’t know what’s going to happen to them.

The people who will enjoy this show most are ones who have at least a passing familiarity with the works of Anton Chekhov. It’s a really fun play even if you have never seen or read Chekhov in your life, but there Chekhovian references sprinkled throughout the show (including the names of the three main characters) that will give a lot of extra laughs for people who get them.

The whole cast does fine work, especially Susan Belvo (Sonia), Patrick Charles Mounce (Spike, the very young boyfriend of the aging movie star Masha) and Candace Artim as Cassandra, the voodoo-loving clairvoyant housekeeper for Vanya and Sonia.

Artim, a local theater stalwart who’s making her Island Players debut with this show, is hilarious and responsible for a sizable chunk of the of the show’s funniest moments. But her casting is an odd choice. Durang intended Cassandra to be played by a black actress, which Artim is not, and an occasion some of the lines fell not-quite-right.

There’s another odd choice. Vanya (Don Sleight) has a very long speech in the second act that’s usually the play’s emotional climax. Vanya even apologizes afterward for ranting and losing his cool. But it’s directed by Thaggard and delivered by Sleight as a calm treatise on modern life, rather than the long-suppressed rant of man who’s kept himself tightly wound all his life.

Those are unusual choices, but they’re not likely to trouble you, especially if you haven’t seen the play before.

Even if they do trouble you, the troubles will be minor. Durang’s smart and clever script, a lot of very funny performances from actors who seem to be having a great time, and a dash of warmth make any other considerations trivial.

Details: Through May 14, Island Players, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 2 p.m. Sunday. $20. 941-778-5755, theislandplayers.org.

This story was originally published May 16, 2017 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Island Players delight with twisted homage to Chekhov."