Curt Columbus, Artistic Director Michael Gennaro, Executive Director 201 Washington Street Providence Rhode Island 02903 www.trinityrep.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 30, 2013 CONTACT: Marilyn Busch, Director of Marketing & PR (401) 453-9228 mbusch@trinityrep.com Myah Shein, Public Relations & Advertising Manager, (401) 521-1100 ext. 226 mshein@trinityrep.com
VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE AT TRINITY REP
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE OF DURANG'S TONY AWARD-WINNING COMEDY | Nov. 21 - Dec. 22 PROVIDENCE, RI: Fresh on the heels of their sold out run of season opener The Grapes of Wrath, Trinity Rep continues their 50th anniversary season with the New England premiere of Christopher Durang’s smash-hit comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Directed by The Richard L. Bready Artistic Director Curt Columbus, the show beings in previews November 21st in the intimate Dowling Theater and runs through December 22nd. Taking takes his cue from some of Anton Chekhov's most recognizable characters, Durang wickedly adds more than a dash of pop culture, a huge helping of dark humor and then lets the characters stew in a pressure cooker of their own devising. The result is a whirlwind weekend of classic Durang barbs, over the top tirades and ridiculously hysterical situations hailed as “Terrifically kooky!” by Entertainment Weekly. For those that are not familiar with Uncle Vanya or Cherry Orchard, Critics agree that "Even if you’ve never read a word of Chekhov, you’re likely to find plenty to make you laugh…" (The New York Times.) Tickets on sale now through the box office at 201 Washington, by phone at (401) 351-4242 and online at www.trinityrep.com. Siblings Vanya and Sonia (Brian McEleney and Janice Duclos) have never left the comfortable confines of their sprawling childhood home in Bucks County, PA. Eldest sister Masha (Phyllis Kay) has gone off to become a wildly successful movie star and keeps the bills paid from her posh Hollywood home. Their routinely banal existence is whipped into a sudden frenzy with the dramatic arrival of superstar Masha, who arrives with much younger "boy toy" Spike (Mark Larson) in tow. Masha's re-entry into their otherwise bucolic existence brings with it the resurgence of sibling rivalry, buried emotions and the looming possibility of the sudden end to their idyllic lifestyle. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike first premiered at the McCarter Theatre and subsequently at Lincoln Center Theatre before its 2013 transfer to Broadway. The crowd-pleasing comedy captured many of that year's notable awards for Best Play, including a Tony Award, a Drama Critics' Circle Award, as well as Drama League and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Play. Director Curt Columbus explains selecting the comedy to be part of Trinity Rep's 50th Season due in part to its unparalleled theatrical lineage. “This new play is a marriage of two playwrights that Trinity Rep audiences have had a love affair with for many years - Christopher Durang and Anton Chekhov both geniuses of presenting humor amid pathos.”