Fast forward to 1960

Ever since the mid-nineties, playwright Christopher Durang has been at the front of new ideas in comedy. His classes at the Juilliard School in New York City have been unique and popular since he began them. In 2012 he created , Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a hilarious two-act comedy that ended up on Broadway and became the Tony Award winner for 2013. For lots of good reasons, more than twenty-seven regional theaters across the country were authorized to stage it during this 2014/15 season. The Duluth Playhouse was one of those venues.

Julie Ahasay, well-known in Duluth theatrical circles, took on the direction of this comedy and made it sparkle. Six characters shared the stage with their creative personal stories, and kept the audience (particularly the middle-aged) laughing from beginning to end.

Vanya (John Pokrzywinski) and Sonia (Christa Schulz) are mellowing brother and sister, living in a house owned by their younger sister Masha (Carrie Mohn). Masha is a touring actress, with a lifestyle precisely the opposite of her two siblings. Should the house be sold? Should a younger generation be the new residents? Should the status quo be maintained?

Meanwhile, Masha has brought along Spike (Matthew Smith) a very hot young man entertaining Masha’s thoughts about being young forever. Finally, the housekeeper Cassandra (Kate Horvath) is fully aware of her prophetic namesake, and manages to stay one step ahead of all the action taking place. The young neighbor Nina (Bailey Boots) adds another touch of simple reality into this blur of dialogue and memories.

If you have memories of television and the theater from 1955 - 1975, they will come flooding back at you, along with whatever you were doing at the time. Allusions were flying all over the Playhouse, far too frequently to keep up with. It was best to go with the flow and swim furiously. If you go, please be at your most wakeful. If you doze off, you will wake up in a completely different dialogue. Once the issues are all front and center, peace and harmony return to the family.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike runs June 11-14 at the Duluth Playhouse. Contact the box office (218-733-7555) for ticket information.

Three Musical Bridges

Just as the Playhouse ends its run, the Seventh Annual Three Bridges International Chamber Music Festival will open. Between June 14 and 28, six musical performances will take place, some at Weber Music Hall (UMD), and some at the Sacred Heart Music Center. Winds and percussion will jump start the series on Sunday afternoon, June 14. Then on Tuesday evening, June 16,  a free concert - The Call of the Northern Woods, claims to be ‘a guided tour through a potpourri of great music’. Featured artists this year include soprano, Dame Emma Kirkby, well-known to early music lovers around the world, and George Shirley, an American tenor with a long list of operatic roles. Visit the Three Bridges website for full information.

It may only be June in the Northland, but there is no lack of music and theater to keep you engaged. Support as much of the live performance scene as you feel comfortable fitting in.