Theatre Oxford will be presenting the 2013 Tony Award-winning play “Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike.” Running tonight through Sunday, the show will be performed at The Powerhouse right off the Square.
Written by Christopher Durang, the original play premiered in New Jersey in 2012. Since its original run, the play has gone on to achieve critical acclamation and received numerous awards.
The play itself focuses on three siblings – Vanya, Sonia and Masha – who all gather together again at their family’s old cherry farm. While Vanya and Sonia have spent the past few years mourning the loss of both their parents and their lost dreams, their sister Masha has been living the high life of a movie star. When Masha returns home with an attractive young guy Spike in tow, things take a turn for the dramatic. Add a fortune-telling maid, a torrid affair and a handful of broken pottery to the mix and you’ve got a comical recipe for disaster.
Jennifer Murchison, an Oxford native and one of the play’s producers, described the production as being absolutely hilarious.
“The entire cast is fantastic,” she said. “And the play itself is so funny. They have really pulled out all the stops for this show because it is a labor of love.”
In addition to being hysterically funny, the play will also be benefitting a great cause. For this production, Theatre Oxford partnered with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Several cast members have been personally affected by this disease. What’s more, April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, which makes this particular partnership all the more timely and meaningful. One of the play’s producers, Jennifer Murchison, noted that there has been a “great outpouring of support from the community” in regard to the fundraising for the foundation. She also said that in lieu of a director’s fee, Matt King, whose father has Parkinson’s, chose to donate the money to the cause.
Also in support of the Parkinson’s foundation, Theatre Oxford will be hosting a silent auction the weekend of the production. From original works of art to VIP passes for next year’s Oxford Film Festival, the auction will include items for everyone. Raffle tickets will be on sale the entire time, and the winners will be chosen Sunday after the final performance of the play.
