VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Opens at the Long Beach Playhouse

"Anyone who wears a tiara and sequins is always going to be the winner"

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike At the Long Beach Playhouse April 29 - May 27
Long Beach, CA, Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is one of the most lauded and beloved Broadway plays of recent years. It's a story that starts with sibling rivalry and ends with reconciliation and redemption. In between are flirtations with voodoo, Disney and Chekhov. The cast is directed by Ryan Holihan. He grew up in southern California and has worked as a director and actor. His acting credits include the films The Addams Family (1991), Apollo 13 (1995) and Ed Wood (1994).

"Most theatre scholars know that beneath the surface of the classic plays of Anton Chekhov is comedy. Chekhov's characters constantly create their own misery and despair; therein lays the darkly absurd humor," said Holihan. "This type of humor is then, of course, a perfect playground for the brilliant mind of the play's author, Christopher Durang."

"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a work that is artistically fulfilling for the actors, director and production staff," said Sean Gray, Producing Artistic Director for The Playhouse. "It's also a show that wins awards and attracts audiences. I am very proud of what our team has accomplished."

"It's a play people love, it's that simple," Holihan said. "I jumped at the chance to direct this production."

Holihan said the cast's first read through stimulated discussion around the scripts themes. Family, age, time, generations, regret, success, failure, life, death, past, present, future, and love are complex ideas built in to this script with ease, humor, and reflection.

"Theater is a process," said Madison Mooney. "We're lucky to have people from actors to directors to our staff who bring everything they have to give to the show. This production of Vanya absolutely sparkles. The actors inhabit the characters, the costumes are perfect, the set is wonderful. The audience is going to love every second."

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike opens on April 29 and runs through May 27. It contains adult language and content.

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY:

Pay what you can Thursday April 27- community can see this production for whatever they can afford
Two for One Preview Friday April 28 - Tickets are $10.00
Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on April 29 - Tickets are $27.00
Friday: Adults are $20.00, Seniors $18.00, and Students $14.00Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24.00, Seniors $21.00, and Students $14.00.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.
To request an interview with the director, cast members or reserve your media tickets to this performance, please send an email to: pr@lbplayhouse.org.

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.