Strong Performances Power Barley Sheaf’s VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
Christopher Durang’s VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2013. Celebrated for the absurdist lens through which he viewed the comedy of everyday life, Durang spent the final stage of his life in his farmhouse in Bucks County. It feels especially fitting then that the Barley Sheaf Players—housed in a boutique theater in nearby Lionville—has mounted an intimate production that is as touching as it is funny.
The story follows two delightfully dysfunctional siblings, Vanya and Sonia, who have spent their adult lives caring for their elderly parents—and perfecting the art of mutual exasperation. Their glamorous, globe trotting movie star sister, Masha, sweeps in with her boy toy Spike, upsetting their curated gloom and threatening to sell the house out from under them. With its cheeky riffs on Chekhovian themes, the play gleefully blends sharp humor with tender melancholy, poking fun at mid life crises, the passage of time, and the heroic struggle of trying to adapt to a changing world.
The production succeeds largely on the strength of its cast, whose performances capture both Durang’s razor-sharp wit and the deep reservoir of humanity beneath it.
Michele Bolay’s Sonia is a bundle of nerves—anxious, self deprecating, and emotionally exposed. She captures the Chekhovian ache of missed opportunities with a vulnerable yet seething sarcasm and sharp comedic timing.
Donna Dougherty portrays Masha with melodramatic flair, dripping unapologetic narcissism at every entrance. With a crystalline grasp of the carefully curated mask Masha wears, Dougherty’s Masha is the deliciously arrogant antagonist—forcing her stagnant siblings to confront their life choices and, ultimately, nudging the family toward healing.
John Bell’s Vanya anchors the household chaos with the peacemaker’s sensibility the story depends on. His extended monologue in the second act becomes the play’s emotional and thematic apex. Railing against a world Vanya no longer recognizes, Bell mines the speech for its hilarity while uncovering striking, unexpected moments of pathos. The resulting performance is equal parts bewilderment and heartbreaking desperation.
Rounding out the ensemble is a cohort of comedic actors. Sam Horvath’s Nina radiates optimism, purity, and gentle compassion – the perfect antidote to the siblings’ cynicism. Michael Hildebrand plays the amiable yet self absorbed Spike with an apple-cheeked warmth and quirkiness. Lauren Rozensky Flanagan’s Cassandra—the family’s erratic cleaning lady—delivers her prophecies with gusto keeping her fellow actors (and the audience) on their toes.
Director Robin Werkema is to be commended for her casting. One might wish her staging more fully capitalized on the comic possibilities embedded in Durang’s script. The production is occasionally visually static, relying on the actors to generate momentum. Fortunately, this talented cast proves more than capable of carrying the evening, standing as a vivid reminder of the power of a beautifully written play performed by actors who understand both its comedy and its heart.
VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
The Barley Sheaf Players
thru 9/26/2026
Review submitted by:
Franklin Joseph
Author’s Bio:
Franklin Joseph is an avid theatre goer who takes delight in the active theatre arts community of the southeast Pennsylvania region.
