A comedy that won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play opens Friday, June 12, in The Circle at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre for 10 performances.
“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” revolves around the relationship between three middle-age siblings whose artsy parents named them after Chekhov characters. Two of them have never left home but stayed to care for their aging parents; the third is a world traveler who has popped in for a weekend in the countryside with her brother and sister.
“The three siblings have a lot of baggage from their past. Vanya and Sonia haven’t really done anything with their lives, including ever having jobs, because their job was to stay home and care for their parents who both had Alzheimer’s,” explains director Scott Dunlap. “Masha is a famous movie star who has traveled and supported the family all this time. It has created resentment from both sides. She shows up one weekend – with a boyfriend half her age – intent on selling the family home.”
Dunlap has assembled a CTC all-star cast for the ensemble production. Greg Rambin Sr. and Julie Van Valkenburg are playing Vanya and Sonia; Kristina Montague is Masha the movie star and Tom Majors her boy toy. Add to this mix, Maya Abram, as the housekeeper who claims to be clairvoyant, and Megan Cobb as the starstruck neighbor.
Dunlap advises this is an adult show, not just because of its strong language and the fact “Spike appears onstage in his underwear a lot,” says Dunlap.
“The content is something that I don’t believe would appeal to children. It is about growing older and the generation gap. People approaching middle age, the regrets that come with that, and sibling rivalry are just things kids wouldn’t understand,” Dunlap explains.
But that same subject matter will keep conversations going long after the curtain falls, Dunlap believes.
“It’s a great comedy that you actually want to talk about after you see it – stuff that may hit a little close to home for people. It’s interesting to have a comedy that makes you want to do that.”
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.