Wichita Community Theatre comedy finally makes it to stage

The saga of getting “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” to the Wichita Community Theatre stage is almost as long as its title.

COVID wreaked havoc with the WCT schedule, with smaller-cast shows substituted over the past two years and larger-cast shows postponed.

And just when the Christopher Durang comedy was ready to go for WCT in mid-January, the partner of one of its cast members had to be quarantined, delaying the production until late February.

“Now we’re finally doing it,” director Jered Becker said. “It’s been a lot to juggle.”

In the comedy, which debuted on Broadway in 2013, middle-aged siblings Vanya (played by Joe Parrish) and Sonia (Vonda Newby-Schuster) live in their family home in Pennsylvania. Neither have a job — they live on the money made by their sister Masha (Michele Irene Janssens), who brings home a dimwitted boytoy named Spike (Justin Noel Hall).

“Vanya and Sonia …” received Tony and Drama Desk awards in 2013 for best play. Its Broadway cast included Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde-Pierce. The WCT cast also includes Kinsey McDaniel and Braswell Baylee.

The siblings are all named after characters in Anton Chekov plays — it’s explained their parents were college professors who were active in community theater.

“It’s a very strange play because it wears its inspirations pretty blatantly on its sleeve,” Becker said.

Those in the know on theater and will appreciate the Chekov references, he said, but it’s not necessary to enjoy the show.

“There are parallel lines from all those shows and there are pop culture references in the show,” Becker said. “Something I usually really despise in shows is when people try to make clever references, but this one gets a pass because it kind of hides in plain sight. If you’re a theater nerd, you’re gonna go, ‘Ah’ and point where you hear it in the show.”

A Wichita artist and friend of Becker, Brady Hatter, designed the roof for the sunroom-set play.

Jason Teubner, whom Becker calls “my favorite guitarist in Wichita,” has solo guitar arrangements of several of the Beatles’ songs that are referenced in the script, he said.

Becker praised the perseverance and talent of his cast.

“I think I got the best people I could get for it,” he said.

A second-time director for WCT, Becker said he was initially intimidated by the resumes of the cast, including Newby-Shuster and Parrish, both of whom have been theater teachers for decades.

“I’m being confident in my choices, even if it is something they might not have done,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a little bit of imposter syndrome.”

“VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE”

When: Feb. 24 to March 6; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Where: Wichita Community Theatre, 258 N. Fountain

Tickets: $15 adults, $13 for students/military/seniors (60-over); $11 Thursdays, from 686-1282

This story was originally published February 20, 2022 at 2:17 AM.