Kentwood Players has announced the re-opening of the newly-refurbished Westchester Playhouse with the presentation of "VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE," a comedy by Christopher Durang.
The play, which opened last weekend, will run through Sunday, October 10. Shows will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Originally slated to open in March 2020 but delayed due to the pandemic, Durang's hilarious comedy "VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE" received multiple theatrical honors, including the Tony Award for Best Play in 2013.
Set in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia live a quiet life in the farmhouse where they grew up and cared for their elderly parents, while mourning their lost dreams and missed opportunities.
When their often-wrong, fortune-telling maid warns of impending dangers, and their movie star sister, Masha, arrives unexpectedly with her young, sexy, boy toy, Spike, the family is launched into a rollicking weekend of one-upmanship, exposed nerves, and a lot of broken mugs. With wit and absurdity, the toils and troubles of celebrity, social networking, and age combine into a laugh-out-loud comedy that will tickle your funny bone and stimulate your mind.
This is a non-equity/all-volunteer production directed by Susan Stangl, produced by Alison Boole and Myron Klafter for Kentwood Players by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. The cast features Isabella Petrini (Nina), Chris Morrison (Vanya), Valerie Sullivan (Sonia), Jeff Dewitt (Spike), Sarilee Kahn (Masha), Giovanni Navarro (Spike) and Susan Stangl (Cassandra).
A total of 16 performances will take place over the four-weekend run. Reserved seat tickets are $22 with a $2 discount for seniors and students. To purchase tickets, email the box office at boxoffice@kentwoodplayers.org or call (310) 645-5156, preferably during box office hours, Wednesday through Saturday from 4 -7 p.m. Available tickets will be sold at the box office beginning a half hour prior to each performance.
Everyone (12 years of age and older) who enters the Westchester Playhouse must show proof of vaccination and properly wear a face mask for admittance.
Free street parking is available on 83rd Street and in the adjoining neighborhood, but not on Hindry Avenue, with left turns now restricted on the corner of Hindry and Florence due to the new Metro train station crossing. So, read all traffic and parking signs carefully.
During the past year's shutdown, Kentwood Players has been diligently working on significant repairs, renovations, and upgrades to the Westchester Playhouse. Improvements include a new CDC compliant and NEBB certified air balanced HVAC system with MERV-13 filters and BiPolar Ionization installed throughout the building, new floors and improved ventilation in bathrooms, a resurfaced roof with new gutters and downspouts, upgraded electrical and lighting, and a welcome remodel to the upstairs Green Room rehearsal hall, dressing rooms and backstage area.
For more information about Kentwood Players including our current production and upcoming auditions, visit the Kentwood Players website at http://www.kentwoodplayers.org. You can also find Kentwood Players information on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/kentwoodplayers.
Audition submissions for MTI's "All Together Now!" will open next Tuesday, September 28 through Thursday, September 30. Auditions are open to all ethnicities, genders and ages and must be submitted digitally and should include one up-tempo song and one ballad from the Broadway theatre repertoire. Please include your resume and photo. Auditions should be submitted to weisbarthsusan@gmail.com.
Created by Musical Theatre International as a fundraiser for theatres across the country, "All Together Now" is a review featuring 15 songs from great Broadway shows including Rent, Waitress, Wicked, Company, Ragtime, Beauty and the Beast and many more. Nearly 3800 productions are planned across the country, all to be performed live on the same weekend as well as streamed online.
Rehearsals for the Kentwood Players production will begin in mid-October online and will then move to the theater for live rehearsals on November 2-11. Live performances will be held at 8 p.m. on November 12, 8 p.m. on November 13, and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
Everyone involved in all aspects of the production must be vaccinated, including in-person audience members who must also properly wear a mask in the theater.
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