Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang is a hilarious absurd comedy. The cast and crew at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore absolutely do it justice.
First, a disclaimer: I like Durang. Not everyone does. In this 2012 Tony-winning script, Durang is very Durang-like, so if you’re not a fan, there’s no reason to think this script will change your mind. If you love someone who loves Durang, score some points by taking them to this show. Everyone is going all-out on this production, as it is the final one that Everyman founder Vincent M. Lancisi is directing as artistic director at Everyman. He retires in June, and it is a Very Big Deal for a lot of people.
Vanya and Sonia inhabit a country home, existing quietly, for the most part. They are somewhat disrupted by warnings from Cassandra, a flamboyant housekeeper who predicts upheaval. Upheaval ensues, in the form of frenemy benefactress Masha, accompanied by arm-candy Spike, accompanied by hilarity.
Director Lancisi has not only fostered this theater and its resident company, he nurtures this production, urging genuine emotional connections and authentic, universal moments.
Vanya is played by Bruce Randolph Nelson, whom I’ve enjoyed seeing before as Elwood P Dowd in Everyman’s 2023 Harvey, and in many other roles as well. His Vanya is natural, believable, and in one sequence in particular, 100% relatable.
Megan Anderson, who was magnificent with mascara streaming down her face as Veta Simmons in Harvey, exhibits quiet desperation that grows louder and louder as devoted house mouse Sonia. Her coffee antics in the opening sequence become less irrational as we watch the action unfold. In Act II, we are rooting very hard for her success and happiness.
The lovely Beth Hylton plays self-centered, brittle Masha with a desperate edge. She’s pouty, furious, pitiable, warm, frustrated, generous, and altogether human, as played by Hylton. One rather wants to hate her, but just can’t. I’ve seen Hylton wear many faces at Everyman, and she is always wonderful to watch. This role seems especially juicy.
Alex Benoit as toyboy Spike looks perfectly comfortable shirtless (and pantsless), executing some fairly impressive warmup-/cool-down moves, every inch of his skin whispering shallow vanity and a short shelf life. In spite of the two-dimensional nature of the character, Benoit infuses Spike with a number of different emotive notes. He’s a lot of fun to watch.
Playing the unapologetically quirky housekeeper Cassandra, Chinai Routté is fascinating and wonderful. Her impassioned forecasts (which fail to rouse those who ought to be paying attention) are full of vocal peaks and valleys and her physical presence is a visual treat.
Nina, the ingenue of a show that doesn’t require an ingenue, is played with humor and earnestness by Shubhangi Kuchibhotla. Nina, as written, risks being cloying; Kuchibhotla, with dry delivery of certain lines, prevents this. Her fresh-faced enthusiasm is tempered by moments of self-awareness with a tiny tinge of cynicism.
The set is gorgeous. Drenched with texture, awash in a multitude of fairy-tale details, it looks idyllic, lush, and Disney-perfect, thanks to the scenic designer Dan Conway. The set is both a feast for the eyes and practical: it includes a sky that looks as if it’s moving even though it isn’t. I keep discovering new curlicues throughout the show.
Lighting designer Harold F. Burgess II gives us an incredibly subtle descent from afternoon into twilight, as well as scene changes with lights up/lights down at different speeds, like visual punctuation. I really love sound designer Pornchanok Kanchanabanca’s soundscape. The sound effects, which come from different locations, really expand the scope of the set beyond what we can see. Our minds create a larger property, driveway, pond, trees, and neighboring homes, expanding the bones provided by the script into a fully fleshed technicolor environment.
Intermission is long enough to procure a (or another) drink from Vinny’s Bar. Also available are little tasty snacks, which are not permitted in the theater. Bathrooms are downstairs, accessible by steps at one end of the lobby and by the elevator at the other. Downstairs is also where you’ll find a coat rack, which is unattended and unmonitored.
I’ve learned a thing about this show — it’s funnier as one ages. I first saw the show nearly a decade ago and was nonplussed by Vanya’s Postage Stamps monologue. Now? It’s hilarious. Cassandra’s solution to the family problem is funnier. Nina’s youthful whatever-it-is is funnier. Spike’s vapidity is funnier. Masha’s desperate railing against impending irrelevance is funnier. Maggie-Smith-on-Her-Way-to-the-Oscars is funnier. Vanya and Sonia’s realization that they’ve spent their lives executing other people’s priorities is … well, that really is not, and may never be, funnier, or even funny at all. Maybe that’s the heart of absurdist theater. And this is what Durang does so beautifully in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike: he creates incredibly funny stuff from stuff that intrinsically is not funny. As presented by Vincent Lancisi and Everyman, it approaches genius.
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike plays through April 19, 2026, at Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD. Purchase tickets ($73–$104) online, by contacting the box office at boxoffice@everymantheatre.org, or by calling 410.752.2208. Standard box office hours are Monday through Friday, 12 pm-5 pm and closed on Saturday and Sunday. The Box Office will open 2 hours before every performance, including weekends. Everyman offers more than 700 Pay-What-You-Choose seats throughout the run, with seats allocated for every performance.
The playbill is online here.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
By Christopher Durang
Directed by Vincent M. Lancisi
Final Factoid: You don’t need to know anything at all about Chekhov to enjoy V&S&M&S; it’s just slightly funnier if you do.
