Arts Playlist: City Theater Company brings Chekhov-inspired comedy to the stage

By Martin Matheny

Joe Del Tufo / Moonloop Photography

The City Theater Company in Wilmington is bringing comedy to the stage with its latest production ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.’

The Tony Award-winning play by Christopher Durang puts a modern, comedic spin on classic Chekhov characters, following three middle-aged siblings whose quiet life is upended by a surprise visit.

In this edition of Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media’s Martin Matheny catches up with the play’s director Joseph Pukatsch and the City Theater Company’s artistic director Kerry Kristine McElrone to explore the ways the Company is bringing this sharp-edged production to life.

The City Theater Company performs a dark comedy influenced by the great Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov.

Christopher Durang’s play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, was inspired by the work of the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, but unlike Chekhov’s often dark and gloomy works, Durang’s play is a bit lighter.

“It's a comedy, so it's all played very humorously, but there's also a lot of heart," says Joseph Pukatsch, the play’s director. "There are some tears for sure. You know, it's not a wacky comedy. It's definitely a little more cerebral. You have your overwhelming sense of Chekhov kind of watching over all this.”

But, Pukatsch notes, you don’t have to be familiar with Chekhov to enjoy Durang’s work.

“You get those little kind of Easter eggs, but it's not going to be inaccessible to people who don't know it," he says.

Kerry Kristine McElrone, City Theater Company’s Artistic Director, plays Masha in this performance.

“It's very much an ensemble piece, where like, everyone has a moment to shine," she says. "Everyone has a big monologue, that's great, that's funny. And everybody gets kind of a turn into some insight into who they are.”

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike runs through April 12 at the Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington.

Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.