Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike — Page 2

My mother doesn't know Chekhov from Chubby Checker and she found it hilarious.

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How is Julie White in the show?

I agree, simply awful, it wouldn't have lasted much without Sigourney, but then it won the Tony, so it may last a few more weeks with Julie White.

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I too loved the show - enough to see it twice. I would love to see Julie White, so maybe a third visit will be in order.

"how could you not enjoy Billy Magnussen!?!!"

Don't tell anyone but he is one of the main reasons I was considering seeing the show. I hope he's back next week.

(I bet he will be good in Into The Woods.)

Some pictures of White in costume: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-First-Look-at-Julie-White-in-VANYA-AND-SONIA-AND-MASHA-AND-SPIKE-20130730

She looks great!

Just back from seeing the show tonight. I had the pleasure of sitting right in front of Chris Durang, so I got to talk about the play with him afterwards. Incredible!

Now before I get to Julie, I just have to say that the cast has really found a groove at this point. David's monologue at the end was equally hilarious and heartbreaking. There were sniffles all around me. Kristine as always gives a tour de force performance. Her ability to switch from comedy to drama at the drop of a hat is not human. She's crazy amazing. Cramazing. Shalita has really just walking away with the show. She steals every scene she's in. Billy was the most different tonight because of his interactions with Julie. But he's really started making Spike more human than just a dumb brick, and it's paying dividends.

Now Julie White. Julie. Freaking. White. That woman can do no wrong. I will say, you could tell that she was still figuring some things out as far as certain choices she made. But for the most part, she was all in. Her Masha is VERY different than Sigourney's (not surprising) but not in a way I expected. I expected Julie to be even more "glam movie star" who is above everyone else. Instead, what we got was a Masha doing EVERYTHING she could to hold on to her youth. While you know Sigourney's Masha was always trying to forget her age, you knew that she knew she was getting old. With Julie, you get the impression that Masha is actively FIGHTING to stay young. Her costumes were different, and the first one we see her in is a very loose fitting white t-shirt with black print under a black biker jacket. It was something you'd see a teenage girl wear at a concert. She really plays up the encouraging Spike's nakedness. But whereas you got the sense that Sigourney was using Spike to make her feel young by association, Julie is making her Masha act like she's still in her 20s to get the man (very high school). Her Masha is also less of a diva and more of a selfish bitch, which is hilarious. But her Act 2 was heartbreaking in a way that Sigourney's never was (though I admit, I did miss Sigourney during most of Act 1). Her fight with Sonia in Act 2 had a gravitas to it that has never been there before. It was the first time I had to catch my breath after the scene. And having her and Kristine together was just magic. I will definitely be going back towards the end of the run to see how she's settled in, but honestly it's pretty great already. Go see her!

Updated On: 7/30/13 at 11:09 PM

After looking at those photos, I think Julie White and Kristine Nielsen look like sisters.

After looking at those photos, I think Julie White and Kristine Nielsen look like sisters.

I thought the same thing!

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I thought the Spike role was the most underwritten, so I don't expect that seeing someone else is going to change the play significantly.

Glad to hear Julie was every bit as good as we imagined she would be.

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Really? I did not find Magnussen's nomination surprising at all. It was a scene-stealing supporting comic performance- much harder than it sounds and nearly always award with a nomination when done well.

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