The House of Blue Leaves

by John Guare

Overview

Farce

Characters: 4 male 6 female

Interior Set

Artie Shaugnessy is a songwriter with visions of glory. Toiling by day as a zoo-keeper he suffers in seedy lounges by night plying his wares at piano bars in Queens New York where he lives with his wife Bananas. Who is. Much to the chagrin of Artie's downstairs mistress Bunny Flingus who'll sleep with him anytime but refuses to cook until they are married. On the day the Pope is making his first visit to the city Artie's son

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780573610288
Publisher:	Concord Theatricals
Publication date:	04/11/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	82
Sales rank:	632,556
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.17(d)

Editorial Reviews

This play by Guare (Six Degrees of Separation) has, since its 1971 off-Broadway premiere, won an ObieA Award, a New York Drama Critics CircleA Award, and four TonyA Awards. Set in 1975, it takes a humorous yet endearing look at issues of politics, religion, relationships, and mental illness. Actor Ron Leibman injects personality into the character of misguided Artie Shaughnessy, but it's actor Sharon Gless's tender, sincere, and evocative performance of Bananas that really steals the show. Another notch in the belt of L.A. Theatre Works, which continues with its track record of thoroughly excellent audio plays. [Audio clip available through www.latw.org; originally produced by L.A. Theatre Works on audiocassette in 1997 and since out of print.-Ed.]
—Lance Eaton

Library Journal

L.A. Theatre Works’ presentation of Guare's Obie Award-winning comedy is first-rate. It takes place in the early 1960s in New York City on the day the pope is coming to town. The characters and the action run the gamut from desperate nuns, a political bombing, a GI headed for Vietnam, and a woman who strikes a bargain between sex and great cooking to a zookeeper who dreams of making it big as a songwriter and his schizophrenic wife, who is destined for an institution. Sharon Gless, Jessica Walter, and Ron Leibman deliver strong portraits of flawed characters—some funny, some despondent, some frustrated, and some hopeful. Their vocal characterizations—full of vitality—provide bittersweet glimpses into the lives of these unfulfilled characters. M.R.E. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2009 - AudioFile