City Theatre to Kick Off 2013-14 Season with 'VANYA AND SONIA,' 10/12-11/3

City Theatre opens its 2013-2014 season with the zany Broadway comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play. Written by Christopher Durang and directed by Tracy Brigden, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spikeruns on City Theatre's Mainstage from October 12 to November 3, 2013, with an Opening Night performance on Friday, October 18 at 8pm.

Vanya and his sister Sonia tolerate the mediocrity of their middle-aged lives in Bucks County, PA, until their movie-star sister Masha returns for a visit that shakes things up. With her boy-toy Spike in tow, Masha incites a madcap family reunion complete with all the comic genius that only Christopher Durang can deliver.

"We're excited to open City Theatre's 39th season with Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a hilarious mash-up of themes and characters from Chekhov's plays, set in the present in eastern PA," says Tracy Brigden, City Theatre's Artistic Director. "This savvy comedy about a family reunion gone awry will hit a funny bone with everyone as they recognize their own family dynamics (as well as themselves!) in the story. It also marks the return of one of my all-time favorite comic writers to City Theatre. Our audiences will remember Christopher Durang's work from 2002 when we produced the City-commissioned world premiere of Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge. Being one of the first regional theatres to pick up Vanya-we booked the show before it won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play-is both a thrill and an accomplishment."

Christopher Durang is a widely produced contemporary American playwright. He has received multiple Obies and a Tony Award for his work, among many other accolades. Durang is the recipient of the 2012 PEN Master American Dramatist Award and a 2013 inductee to the Theater Hall of Fame. Among his best known plays are Sister Mary Ignatius, Beyond Therapy, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Laughing Wild, Betty's Summer Vacation, the Pulitzer Prize-finalistMiss Witherspoon, Why Torture Is Wrong, and Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge, which was commissioned by City Theatre and had its world premiere in 2002. Characterized by a combination of absurdist humor and raging satire, his style has influenced an entire generation of writers. But even the anger of an enfant terrible must recede and he has now given us what is arguably his most enjoyable and commercially viable comedy to date. With sold-out extended runs at the McCarter and Lincoln Center Theater, the critically praised Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike was the perfect vehicle for Durang's return to Broadway.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike features Harry Bouvy (The Clockmaker at City Theatre, 2010), Karl Glusman, Sheila McKenna (The Monster in the Hall, 2012), Hayley Nielsen (Little Gem, 2013), Helena Ruoti (Master Class, 2000), and Amirah Vann. The creative team includes Tony Ferrieri (Scenic),Susan Tsu (Costume), Andrew David Ostrowski (Lighting), Joe Pino (Sound), Elsen Associates Inc. (Wigs), and Calleri Casting (Casting).

Tickets are $35 to $55, and available by calling the box office at 412.431.CITY (2489) or citytheatrecompany.org.

Audiences under 30 may reserve $15 tickets in advance for all performances except Fridays 8pm and Saturdays 5:30pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, rush tickets are available two hours prior to show time and based on availability.

Seniors age 62 and older may purchase $22 rush tickets at the Box Office beginning two hours before show time. Based on availability.