Christine Ebersole and Kristine Nielsen Go Head-to-Head in Los Angeles Production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Christine Ebersole and Kristine Nielsen will star in the upcoming Los Angeles production of Christopher Durang's 2013 Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Center Theatre Group's Mark Taper Forum. Directed by original Broadway cast member David Hyde Pierce, the Chekhov-inspired comedy is set to run from January 29-March 9.

Nielsen will reprise her Tony-nominated performance as the cripplingly insecure Sonia, alongside Tony winner Ebersole as vain movie star Masha. They will be joined by Mark Blum as their stoic brother Vanya, Shalita Grant in her Tony-nominated role as the soothsaying maid Cassandra, David Hull as Masha's boy toy Spike, and Broadway cast member Liesel Allen Yeager as their fetching neighbor Nina.

Pierce's staging will be based on the work of Nicholas Martin, who received a Tony nomination for the show's Broadway premiere earlier this year. Martin, who had been announced to direct the show's Los Angeles outing, has bowed out due to scheduling conflicts. The creative team also includes David Korins (scenic design), Gabriel Berry (costume design), David Weiner (lighting design), and Mark Bennett (original music and sound design).

Click here to read TheaterMania's interview with stars Kristine Nielsen and Shalita Grant.