VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
                                    at Lincoln Center's Newhouse Theater

(Seen November 18, 2012)

With a wink and a nod to Chekov, Chris Durang has written a delightful new play, full of fun and satire, and peopled with characters you might enjoy spending an evening with.

Shades of THE SEAGULL and UNCLE VANYA may lurk in the shadows, but only in a good-hearted way.  Durang has set his comic play in a home in Bucks County, PA, present day.  Sister and brother Sonia and Vanya inhabit the decaying family homestead, where they have put their lives and ambitions 'on hold' to tend to their late mother.  Meanwhile, sister Masha has become a rich movie star -- and the breadwinner for the family.  Add a Caribe housekeeper, Cassandra; a boy-toy for Masha named Spike; and a dewy-eyed young neighbor named Nina, to complete a burgeoning household.

David Hyde Pierce snugly and comfortably fits his role of Vanya, while Kristine Nielsen's Sonia is touching and funny.  Siguorney Weaver seems to relish being Masha, while Billy Magnussen thrives as Spike.  Shalita Grant strides through the role of Cassandra, and Genevieve Angelson personifies her ingenue role.

Durang has developed bright and clever dialogue for his characters, and despite some over-long monologues, this entertaining work is one of the best plays of the new season.