Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Ben Brantley of "The New York Times" described the play as a "sunny new play about gloomy people". Patrick Healy of "The New York Times" described it as a "black comedy about unhappy siblings". According to Robin Pogrebin of "The New York Times", "The play sets characters and themes from Chekhov in present day Bucks County, PA." The characters Vanya, Sonia and Masha are middle-aged siblings named after Chekhov characters. Their deceased parents were "college professors who dabbled in community theater". The character names are borrowed from Chekhov plays. Vanya is the protagonist in "Uncle Vanya" and Sonia is his
Anastasiya Vertinskaya strikingly vivid" and, even more extraordinary, continuously developing in the course of just four short scenes. "In Princess Liza there is a lot of inner dynamics and total integrity," according to the "Actors of Soviet Cinema" (1967) almanac. Vertinskaya's work in Sovremennik ("The Cherry Orchard", "Valentin and Valentina") made critics speak of the "unique gracefulness" and the "technical virtuosity combined with deep psychological insight." Critically acclaimed were her performances in "The Seagull" (Nina) and "Uncle Vanya" (Elena). In "Tartuffe", she elevated her Elmyra "onto on an enormous aesthetic pedestal, presenting her as a kind of noblewoman of old French canvasses,