Chekov channeled in sibling rivalry comedy at Prospect

There are plenty of Chekov references in Prospect Theater Project’s next production — most of them right in the name itself.

“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” tells the story of three middle-aged single siblings. Two, brother Vanya and sister Sonia, live together but are supported by the third, Masha.

Prospect stages the play Feb. 23-March 11 at its downtown Modesto theater.

“When your parents are professors and avid theatre lovers, you find yourselves named after Chekov characters. If you’re Masha, you leave the nest to become a famous actress,” a press release from Prospect said. “If you’re Vanya and Sonia, you stay behind to take care of your professor parents in their dotage and dementia, until they die and you are left with just each other and the house for company, while Masha pays the bills from afar.”

The fourth title character, Spike, is Masha’s boy-toy who she brings along when she shows up to see her sisters after a long absence.

Playwright Christopher Durang “extracted the essences of Chekov’s characters and themes and distilled them into a heady, intoxicating, utterly delightful draught that one wants to drink again and again,” the release said.

The play opens with Vanya and Sonia at home, pondering the existential. Masha suddenly arrives after a long absence with her much-younger boyfriend Spike.

“Masha has been invited to a party by a local wealthy couple, and she has decided to take pity on her reclusive siblings and invite them along,” according to the release. “In return, she gets to show off her boyfriend and delight in Sonia’s jealousy and melancholy. Meanwhile, Vanya, always content to be the observer, is thrilled to observe the lovely lines of Spike’s form. Spike is just thrilled to be the youngest, handsomest person in the room … in any room.”

Other characters are Cassandra, the cleaning woman, and Nina, an aspiring young actress visiting their neighbors. The two women are catalyzing agents who — in Chekhovian fashion — shift the balance and help set up a series of plot twists.

Directing will be Katherine Zagone, who last led Prospect’s 2017 season presentation of “The 39 Steps.”

The ensemble comedy cast includes Prospect Theater Project veterans David Barbaree and Kathleen Ennis as Vanya and Masha, with Jill Taylor as Sonia, Joshua Palafox as Spike, Delawna McKinney as Cassandra and Maricella Monterrubio as Nina.

Set design is being done by Dirk Durossette, a scenic designer who currently works with several companies in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Opera. His designs have been seen throughout the United States, and garnered him a Barrymore Nomination for his work on “Skylight” with Lantern Theater.

Known for its more introspective dramas, this is the second in back-to-back comedies staged this season by Prospect, after its production of “Beer for Breakfast” in January.

After “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” the company turns to political satire in May with a production of “Clybourne Park,” a play by Bruce Norris.

This story was originally published February 17, 2018 at 9:20 AM with the headline "Chekov channeled in sibling rivalry comedy at Prospect."