Theatre / Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, by Christopher Durang directed by Steph Evans, Mockingbird Theatre. At Belconnen Arts Centre, until May 23. Reviewed by ALANNA MACLEAN.

This is a lunatic play and frankly it will be much funnier and cut much deeper if you know something about the plays of Anton Chekhov. 

At first it feels like a bit of a parody set in America rather than Russia. Vanya (Chris Baldock) and Sonia (Tracy Noble) are living the bucolic and somewhat aimless life of quite a few of Chekhov’s characters, supported by the intermittent labours and warnings of the wonderfully prophetic Cassandra (India Kazakoff) and the money of Vanya’s actress sister Masha (Helen McFarlane). They gaze out at the lake and are ageing passive observers of life.

When Masha turns up with her much younger boyfriend Spike (Darcy Worthy) Vanya and Sonia have to rouse out of their lethargy and in their own ways take some kind of a stand. The pot is further stirred by the arrival of young and idealistic Nina (Lily Welling).

Meantime McFarlane’s controlling and much married (five times) Masha learns a lesson or two from the offhand behaviour of Worthy’s cruelly casual young Spike.

How Vanya reveals a passionate belief in the good old days when stamps had to be licked and there were no people interacting with mobile phones (rather than life) is a moment Baldock takes full advantage of.

How Sonia finds unexpected social courage is slower to happen but Noble makes the most of it.

How Masha finally lets some common sense catch up with her attempt to preserve the illusion of everlasting youth is touchingly done by McFarlane.

How Snow White and at least a few of the Seven Dwarves (and Maggie Smith) are involved in all of this is something best revealed by seeing the play.

Fans of Disney (and Maggie Smith) might be disconcerted. Fans of Chekhov will love it as the references pile up and the Chekhovian tropes are subverted.