In the end, hope and heart

Roger Roosma is looking forward to the run of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” that opens tonight at the Puhi Theatrical Playhouse.

Part of the reason, of course, is because he plays Spike, the so-called boy toy of aging movie star Masha, played by Dottie Bekeart.

“He’s willing to go out of his way to get the part, including dating older women in hopes it will advance his career,” Roosma said of his character.

But one of his co-stars, Jim Ballantine who plays Vanya, offers another theory about why Roosma is ready for the curtain to rise.

“He spends most of the time without any clothes on, ” Ballantine said, smiling

It’s that type of subtle humor — and some not-so-subtle humor — that will leave audiences laughing when they see the comedy written by Christopher Dang.

The winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play has just one set. It is directed by Faith Harding, presented by the Kauai Community Players and plays for three weekends. Performances are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays and continue for three weekends.

The story follows middle-aged siblings Vanya (Ballantine) and Sonia (Karen Firl), who share a home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where they bicker and complain about the circumstances of their lives. Their movie-star sister, Masha, swoops in with Spike. Old resentments flare up, eventually leading to threats to sell the house.

Also on the scene are sassy maid Cassandra (Grayson Brannen), who can predict the future, and a lovely young aspiring actress named Nina (Melissa D’Anna).

Ballantine described his character as someone who is passive, has given up and is in the twilight years. Yet, laughter and smiles find their way through the tough times.

“For such a funny comedy, it has a lot of really moving moments,” he said.

Harding, who directed “True West,” in 2010 and “Closer” in 2014, said Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a poignant look at technology, age, how generations relate to each other and universal themes of siblings.

“Durang’s whole take on the modern world and what has been lost from the past is also in this play,” Harding said. “He brilliantly puts it together. So all the cynicism and the sarcasm that is the humor in this play sort of melts away at the end and there’s hope and there’s heart there. That’s what I love about.”

Bekeart’s Masha is a successful actress whose career is winding down, yet she tries to cling to her youth.

“Over the course of the play, she comes to terms with age and life’s changes,” Bekeart said.

“I’m sort of like Masha,” she added, laughing. “I’m an aging actress now. There aren’t as many roles but the ones there are, are really interesting.”

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, she said, “has that wonderful combination of comedy and some would say, the human condition” as it looks at humanity and how people deal with life’s illusions.

Yet, above all, it is extremely funny, Bekeart said.

“You will laugh all night long and will also walk out of here moved by the characters and you will have a greater understanding what it’s like to get old in this rapidly changing world of ours,” she said.

Harding’s cast includes two veterans of the stage, Bekeart and Firl, and newcomers, Ballantine, Brannen, Roosma and D’Anna.

“I’m very excited about that,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for a better cast. They’re funny and they’re working very hard.”

She believes the production will be a hit and encourages the community to see it.

“You’re going to laugh out loud and you will go away with great feelings of hope and that you can look at your own life and your own family and examine what’s happening through these characters,” Harding said.

The play is about two hours. There will be a 15-minute intermission.

For tickets, go to www.kauaicommunityplayers.org or call Brown Paper Tickets, (800) 838-3006. Tickets are $20 with $5 off opening weekend and discounts for KCP members, students and seniors.