Family Matters at The Rep with Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

By Jeff Gudzune

Jeff writes book reviews for a variety of publishers and is active in community theater. Since 2013, Jeff has owned and operated Matrix Notary Service.

What family doesn't have its ups and downs and crippling neuroses? Delaware's own Resident Ensemble Players explores the complex relationship between three middle-aged siblings with an equal mix of comedy and maudlin reflection. 

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a wild ride through complicated family dynamics, midlife regrets, and eccentricities. Boasting a highly talented cast of performers, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike dives face-first into the archetypal drama of a family that long ago stopped talking to one another and now only talks at one another.

The REP's production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.
L-R: Mic Matarrese, Elizabeth Heflin, Kathleen Pirkl Tague,
Carine Montbertrand, Lee E. Ernst, Charlene Hong White.
Photo courtesy of The REP.

Set in a quiet Pennsylvania cottage, the play follows middle aged siblings Vanya (Lee E. Ernst) and Sonia (Kathleen Pirkl Tague) who have spent much of their lives watching the world, and their own ambitions, pass them by. Their mundane existence is disrupted when their glamorous movie-star sister, Masha, arrives unexpectedly with her much younger boyfriend, Spike.

Masha (Elizabeth Heflin) is a success. She reminds her siblings of this fact on numerous occasions. Vania and Sonya have failed to thrive. They live their lives in the state of ubiquitous intellectual paralysis, floating through their days expressing regrets in overlapping monologues. 

Due to a career downturn, Masha is trying to bolster her public image by restyling herself as a serious actress while slimming down financially. She intends to sell the family home, possibly putting her other siblings out on the street.

Assisting the family in taking care of the property is Cassandra (Carine Montbertrand), a Russian housekeeper who is often dramatically struck with bizarre and rambling prophecies. Much like the tragic Greek figure for whom she is named, Cassandra's predictions are often dismissed as the ravings of an eccentric old lady. Spike (Mic Matarrese) is narcissus personified; in love with himself and blissfully unaware of his own personal failings. He is a free spirit, wandering around the stage in his underpants and flirting shamelessly with the shy but intellectual Nina (Charlene Hong White).

The set is breathtaking; an entire house planted on the stage. Actors ascend and descend the staircase as if they really are inhabiting the upper levels of the house. Musical interludes provide theme and tone throughout, indicative of emotional changes as the play progresses. The often referenced, yet never seen Blue heron serves as a metaphor for the emotional development of the characters as they navigate the complexities of their family dynamics.

Each performer brings a unique flavor to the role, standing out at pivotal moments throughout the play. Vanya consumes most of the second act in a dramatic and often painful reflection on letting go of the past. Masha's pain is poured forth with devastating reality while Sonia reveals her own personal struggles. Nina and Spike are not simply disposable side characters, but emotional archetypes in and of themselves. Cassandra is comic relief, but also a powerful unifying force.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike runs April 9-26 at the Roselle Center for the Arts in Newark, Delaware. The cast includes The REP company members Lee E. Ernst (Vanya); Elizabeth Heflin (Masha); Mic Matarrese (Spike); Kathleen Pirkl Tague (Sonia), Carine Montbertard (Cassandra) and Charlene Hong White (Nina). 

The creative team includes Steve Tague (Director); Brittany Vasta (Scenic Designer); Celeste Jennings (Costume Designer); Matthew Richards (Lighting Designer); and Eileen Smitheimer (Sound Designer).

Visit https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/cas/units/departments/theatre-and-dance/resident-ensemble-players/ for tickets and details. 

Take a Heroic Trip with DTC in the U.S. Premiere of "Glory Ride"

By Mike Logothetis

Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) takes its audience on a thrilling ride of defiance, sacrifice, and hope during World War II. Based on a true story, Glory Ride reveals the secret life of legendary Tour de France champion Gino Bartali, who conspired with the Cardinal of Florence to save hundreds of persecuted innocents from Mussolini’s Fascist Blackshirts. 

Glory Ride, now playing at DTC.  Photo courtesy of DTC.

Cycling thousands of miles, this unlikely team created the fastest resistance network the world never knew about...until now. Following a sold-out London debut, the piece is proudly making its U.S. Premiere at DTC, transporting audiences to the hills of Tuscany for an unforgettable, emotional adventure.

DTC’s Producing Artistic Director Mimi Warnick said: “Audiences may know Gino Bartali as a celebrated cyclist, but his impact during World War II went far beyond sport. DTC is proud to produce this new musical and invite audiences to be part of its future.”

Warnick added that Wilmington itself offers a lot for productions with an eye on a Broadway run, including its experience in premiering new works and its proximity to New York City, with its legions of actors and technical experts.

Right out of the gate, one is mesmerized by the imposing set by Beowulf Boritt. A circular screen commands the center of the action with angular beams radiating from it like a sun or a bicycle cog with its many teeth. All were constructed with an emphasis on symmetry and simplicity – a la fascist architecture. 

Images are projected on all free surfaces and from above onto the rotating stage floor. Kudos to Nicholas Hussong for the visuals, especially the rose window. It’s all very impressive and integrates wonderfully with Director Michael Bello’s grand vision. The story is incredible. The courage of Bartali and others is inspiring. The musical is uplifting even if some don’t make it out alive.

The book is by Victoria Buchholz and her father Todd Buchholz with music and lyrics by the younger Buchholz. While not memorable in a classic way, the songs serve an emotional purpose and showcase the lovely voices of the cast. None is more powerful than Bri Javis’s, who played Sister Maria. All songs in this production are sung live by the cast, which works in the confines of the cozy Riverfront theater.

The excellent cast is comprised of Matthew Amira (Bartali), Jared Zirilli (Il Lupo), Gavin Gregory (Cardinal Dalla Costa), Neal Mayer/Matthew Michael Janisse (Giorgio Nico), Javis, Patrick Oliver Jones (Commander Graziani), Sean Luc Rogers (Mario), Stephanie Prestage (Adriana), Willem Ford Butler, Elbi Cespedes, Chris Marsh Clark, Lincoln Cohen, David Hoffman, Cody Howard, Isabella Kaplan, Corinne Munsch, Michael Notardonato, Matthew Rella, Trevor Michael Schmidt, Scott Silagy, Everett Sobers, and Brooke Sterling.

Amira portrays Bartali as a simple man with a caring heart and conflicted loyalties. His voice could boom and focus attention on himself or meld tenderly with duet partners like Prestage. His song “King of the Mountains” is a highlight, especially with the accompanying choreography by Denis Jones. Jones utilizes props, the screens, and the rotating stage to perfection throughout the show. The effects are wonderful. The musical number “Ad Astra” aligned the stage direction, choreography, and lighting (Cory Pattak) in perfect harmony.

But the overarching question posed by the show is: “What is glory?” Bartali has experienced it by winning the Tour de France. Mario never had it until his wartime heroics provided it to him. The humble Cardinal and his bookkeeper Nico don’t want it to draw attention to their mission of saving those whom the authorities would like to see eliminated. The pursuit or avoidance of glory has different value for the characters and they struggle one way or the other to achieve their goals.

“Glory Ride isn’t just a race. It’s proof that one quiet act of courage can outrun evil,” said co-author Todd Buchholz.

Bravo to the entire production team, staff, musicians, and actors for this extremely satisfying theater experience.

Glory Ride finishes its run on Sunday, March 15. Showtimes are Wednesdays (2:00 & 7:00pm), Thursdays and Fridays (7:00pm), Saturdays (2:00 & 7:30pm), and Sundays (2:00pm). Ticket prices start at $39 and discounts are available. 

The play is roughly 2 hours and 25 minutes long with one 15-minute intermission. Join DTC for Viewpoints every Wednesday, starting 45 minutes before the start of the show. 

Talkbacks – Q&As with the creative team – occur Thursdays after the final curtain. Call 302.594.1100 or visit www.delawaretheatre.org to purchase tickets or for performance information. Delaware Theatre Company is located at 200 Water Street in Wilmington.

DTC recommends this show for children aged 12 and up due to its length and subject matter. More about Glory Ride can be found on its website: www.gloryridemusical.com.

Another Round for POTUS and the Seven Women Who Rule the Show

By Guest Blogger, Dan Sanchez
Dan holds a BA in Theatre Production from the University of Delaware and has studied theatre around the world. Dan has worked extensively both onstage and behind the scenes across the Mid-Atlantic Region with theaters such as Three Little Bakers, The Candlelight Theatre, the Philadelphia Theatre Project, The Milburn Stone Theatre and Phoenix Festival Theater. 

City Theater Company has unleashed a firecracker of a production with POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive — a high-octane farce that is as sharp as it is shameless, as outrageous as it is observant. If you like your comedy fast, fearless, and laced with political bite, take notice.

Written by Selina Fillinger — who was just 28 when the play premiered on Broadway in 2022 under the direction of Delaware’s own five-time Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman — POTUS blends the mechanics of classic door-slamming farce with distinctly modern feminist satire. Think Noises Off meets HBO’s Veep, sharpened for an era hyper-aware of power, image, and the labor women perform behind the scenes.

The inciting incident detonates in the first line. The unseen President of the United States—never fully appearing onstage, in the grand comic tradition of Vera from Cheers — has just referred to the First Lady using a word that rhymes with “blunt” and begins with a “C.” It is jarring. It is vulgar. It is wildly funny. And it sets off a chain reaction that traps seven women inside the White House as they scramble to contain diplomatic, political, and personal fallout.

A word of warning: if strong language offends you, this may not be your evening at the theatre. The script is unapologetically bawdy, profane, and occasionally gleefully lowbrow. But Fillinger’s vulgarity is not gratuitous; it is surgical. She exposes how casually misogyny permeates political spaces, then hands the women the verbal artillery to fight back. On opening night, the Delaware Contemporary’s Black Box Theater shook with laughter — big, rolling waves of it — punctuated by audible gasps that signaled a crowd fully on board.

Director Kristin Finger understands that farce is unforgiving. Timing is oxygen. Miss a beat and the joke suffocates. Here, the pacing is crisp and relentless. Doors fling open and slam with purpose. Physical comedy escalates with cartoon precision. Characters ricochet through the space in tightly choreographed chaos that never feels sloppy. Finger keeps the machine humming at full throttle, trusting both the script and her cast to stick the landing.

And this cast delivers.

POTUS is not a star vehicle masquerading as an ensemble piece. It is a true ensemble — seven women sharing narrative oxygen, each essential to the escalating absurdity. The comedy works because momentum flows seamlessly among them; no single character monopolizes the spotlight, even as individual performances sparkle.

LaNeshe Miller White brings layered strength to Margaret, the First Lady. White resists easy caricature, grounding the character’s frustration and humiliation in carefully constructed public dignity while allowing flickers of rage and razor wit to surface.

Mary Carpenter commands as Harriet, the high-strung bulldog Chief of Staff. With crisp authority and finely calibrated exasperation and obliviousness, Carpenter provides both the spine and the spinelessness of the operation. Her Harriet is all damage control on the surface but simmering with irritation and barely contained rage beneath it.

Jordan Fidalgo’s Chris, the working-mother journalist circling the chaos, threads ambition with moral reckoning. Fidalgo balances sharp comedic beats with an undercurrent of conscience and parental responsibility, giving the character dimension beyond opportunism.

Heron Kennedy’s Dusty, the President’s dalliance — lips bluer than Jack Dawson’s as Rose lets go — injects volatile unpredictability into every entrance. Kennedy embraces the physicality and sensuality of the role, leaning into heightened naïve absurdity while maintaining emotional clarity — a tricky balance in farce, handled deftly here.

Jessica Jordan’s Jean, the cynical and oft-times paranoid Press Secretary, slices through the script’s dense dialogue with razor precision. Her verbal sparring is among the evening’s most satisfying, delivered with confidence and immaculate timing.

Karen Getz as Bernadette, the President’s criminal sister, gleefully detonates decorum. Getz understands exactly how far to push outrageous sexuality and impropriety before snapping it back, mining each moment for maximum comedic payoff.

And then there is Kelsey Hérbert as Stephanie, the President’s secretary. In a cast operating at such a high level, it is no small feat to stand out — yet Hérbert manages to do just that. Her Stephanie begins tentative, almost mousy, clinging to professionalism and struggling to “take up space” in her career. Over the course of the evening, Hérbert charts a beautifully controlled yet chaotic arc of self-possession. Her performance is, without giving too much away, “bloody” brilliant. She navigates slapstick, verbal dexterity, and even a surprising operatic flourish with remarkable ease. While the production thrives on collective strength, Hérbert’s performance lingers, an electric thread running through the ensemble fabric.

What elevates the evening further is the chemistry among the cast. Jokes land not in isolation but in carefully constructed cascades. One woman sets the rhythm; another escalates it; a third detonates it. The audience on opening night leaned forward, roaring with laughter as physical comedy tipped into delicious absurdity. It is rare to feel a room so fully surrendered to a production’s momentum.

If there is a minor critique to be made, it lies in the production design. Rick Nedig’s set is functional within the confines of a black box space but leaves much to the audience’s imagination regarding the inner workings of the White House. Maura Owens’ costumes are serviceable yet lack the specificity and polish one might expect from women operating at the highest levels of political power. In a play that boldly embraces heightened reality, a more distinctive visual palette might have amplified the theatricality. The design never detracts from the action, but it does not quite match the ferocity of the performances. Given the strength onstage, a bolder aesthetic frame may have elevated the production from excellent to unforgettable.

Still, farce lives or dies on performance and pacing, and City Theater Company triumphs where it matters most.

Importantly, POTUS is not about any single administration. The President remains unseen—an amalgamation of ego, entitlement, and oblivious privilege drawn from decades of political archetypes. The satire lands not because it is partisan, but because it is systemic. The women in proximity to power are tasked with cleaning up disasters they did not create, navigating double standards with ingenuity and grit. The humor is broad; the commentary is pointed.

By the final moments, what lingers is not simply the laughter but the collective force of these seven women. They are messy, strategic, furious, vulnerable, ambitious and very, very funny. Fillinger’s script allows them the full spectrum of humanity, and this ensemble embraces it wholeheartedly.

City Theater Company’s POTUS runs through March 7 at The Delaware Contemporary’s Black Box Theater. If you crave theatre that is smart, fast, and unapologetically fun — comedy with teeth and impeccable timing — this is your ticket. Gather your most politically savvy friends or your most chaos-loving ones and prepare to laugh until your sides ache.

Take notice. These women aren’t just keeping the President alive (seriously, they aren’t). They’re keeping Wilmington theatre exhilarating. Visit city-theater.org to grab your tickets today.