Portland Center Stage presents Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Until February 8 2015, Portland Center Stage is presenting a production of the Broadway hit and 2013 Tony Award winner for Best Play, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike“.

The events of  Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike cover when Masha, the successful youngest sister, returns home with her young lover for a costume party and see her two older siblings (Vanya and Sonia) who stayed behind to take care of their parents and never left the hometown. The play’s themes center around the relationships between adult siblings and the self-awareness of those 3 siblings in knowing they are aging and halfway through their lives.

Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike, Art by Julia McNamara

As you might guess from the names of the siblings – Vanya, the oldest brother, and his two younger sisters of Sonia and Masha, there are also plenty of references to Chekhov and a bit of mocking of classic theater. If you know a little bit, you will probably get a kick about little twists that are made, such as transformation of a Seagull (one of Chekhov’s famous plays) into references about a wild turkey, allusions about a Cherry Orchard (another Chekhov play, that one also about losing of a family estate) and Vanya being anxious about the future and reminiscing about the past (just like the namesake play Uncle Vanya). If you feel you might be missing some references or inside jokes, you probably are –  I felt I did.

If you are interested, PCS always provides a Resource Guide to all their plays if you want to do a little research ahead of time, and this one for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike has a lot of background in it! And, it just so happens tomorrow January 24 you can even join in on a afternoon seminar on Chekhov and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike led by a Yale educated dramaturg Kate Bredeson.

But you don’t have to know anything at all about Chekhov to enjoy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.  Some things, such as how people act before coffee, a hunk stripping (or reverse stripping) to his underwear, seeing over-dramatic crying, and hearing petty sniping between people, are just simply universally understood humor.

Portland Center Stage Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike L-R: Sharonlee McLean as Sonia, Eden Malyn as Nina, Andrew Sellon as Vanya, Carol Halstead as Masha and Nick Ballard as Spike (front) and in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” by Christopher Durang. Photo by Patrick Weishampel.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, authored by playwright Christopher Durang, does carry on Chekhov’s emphasis more on dialogue and interesting characters than specific plots and events and everyone being unhappy each in their own way. But if you’ve ever watched any episode of Friends or Seinfeld or How I Met Your Mother, you’re already familiar with spending time with people just talking being entertainment enough for a viewer.

Portland Center Stage production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike L-R: Nick Ballard as Spike, Carol Halstead as Masha, Andrew Sellon as Vanya and Sharonlee McLean as Sonia in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” by Christopher Durang. Photo by Patrick Weishampel.

I enjoyed all the characters, and all the performances by all the cast in this group are great, communicating their idiosyncrasies and self-centeredness while being endearing all at the same time.  Every character gets their moment – and each one was handled beautifully by each actor and actress. Although you are conscious about this being a play, each of these people also seemed oddly plausible and real life, not just a character. I chalk it up that even though some the character reactions are over the top, there is some sincerity of emotion coming from the performances that grounds it to more than just acting. The costuming and the stage are full of wonderful details – you can feel that all the objects on the set have a story behind them, and while the costume party costumes were exquisite, I was also coveting Masha’s morning robe.

Besides wondering what references or jokes I might have missed, the only other thing I wondered is when the time period of this play is set. Given the purported age of the characters, how can they reminisce with such strong nostalgia as if they’ve lived through the 50s and also complain about Twittering? 

The play and the production perfectly balances asking thoughtful questions and introspection about life with a tinge of melancholy, all without ever getting too moody. There is always a return to being able to laugh that life and people and our own culture can also be a bit preposterous.

There is some mature language and sexuality so PCS recommends it for ages 13+, and the closer you are to middle age or a Chekhov or theater geek, probably the more references you might enjoy in this play, although it isn’t needed. Performances, which run for the next  2 weeks until February 8, are at

• Tuesday – Sunday 7:30 PM. ($39-63 for adults Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sun, $49-69 on Fri-Sat evening performances)
• Saturday and Sundays at 2 PM and Thursdays at noon  ($36-52 for adults)

For a discount, save $5 with code word VOODOO. All performances are at the Armory (128 NW 11th Avenue, in the Pearl District) in the U.S. Bank Main Stage.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike runs for approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission. If you attend one of the 7:30 PM performances and want to have a bite/drink and chat about it, since you are not out until almost 10 PM, may I humbly point out that your closest options include Henry’s, Bluehour, Tilt, Oven and Shaker, and Fathead Brewpub, all within a few blocks.

You can also visit before the show for a drink or a bite at the Armoy. And as always you can pre-order your drink at the bar for intermission. You can bring your drink into the theater as long as it has a lid. I enjoyed a Spiked Punch they offered at the bar with Flor de Cana Silver Rum, Pineapple, Orange, Lime, Grenadine and Sprite. An option I pondered but didn’t try myself was The Cherry Orchard with Wonder Kombucha, New Deal Vodka, Bordeaux Cherry Relish and Lime.

Have you read or seen any Chekhov plays (I admit my knowledge was mainly the Seagull from school), or are there any productions from Portland Center Stage you enjoyed or are looking forward to this year?

Disclosure: I was invited to see this production, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.