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Best Reasons to Go
"Most of the characters have monologues that are delivered
directly to the audience. These moments of breaking the fourth
wall provide some of the play’s most revealing and
enthralling moments."
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here to read more.
THEATERJONES.COM
Hip To Be Guare
Theatre Arlington revives the wonderfully wacky
"House of Blue Leaves."
by Mark Lowry
The title-explanation speech in John Guare's
dark comedy The House of Blue Leaves comes about
halfway through the first act. Artie, a zookeeper who really
wants to make it big as a songwriter in Hollywood, is
explaining the property of a Long Island psych hospital to his
fittingly named wife, Bananas.
"There was a tree with blue leaves," he tells her,
"I walked under it to get out of the rain ... and all the
leaves flew away in one big round bunch. Just lifted up,
leaving a bare tree. It was birds ... and all the birds flew
to another tree a couple of hundred feet off and that bare
tree blossomed." And then, lest anyone think he could be
sappy, Artie adds to his pitch that "a lot of famous
people have had crackdowns there, so you'll be running in good
company."
That speech pretty much defines Guare
at his comic best: outrageous with heart, never for the sake
of being quirky. And he was never any better at meshing the
wacky and serious than in The House of Blue Leaves,
which debuted off-Broadway in 1970. Four years earlier, Guare
played Artie in a reading at the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights
Conference in Connecticut. But, he writes in the play's
forward, it took him four more years, the death of his father
and seeing Laurence Olivier in back-to-back productions of Dance
of Death and A Flea in Her Ear before he could make
sense of a second act. Guare didn't see any reason why The
House of Blue Leaves couldn't be the love-child of
Strindberg and Feydeau.
His breakthrough play is probably not as howlingly
funny as it was to audiences 40 years ago, but this is
one comedy that deserves a good dusting-off every now and
then. Its influence can be seen in Christopher Durang,
David Lindsay-Abaire
and Wes Anderson. And, when approached with a mix of glee and
reverence,
it's still pretty hilarious.
Theatre Arlington does it justice in a well-cast production,
directed by B.J. Cleveland, that is maniacal and heartfelt.
Ted Wold plays Artie Shaughnessy, who introduces himself in
the prologue. At his upright piano on the stage apron, Artie
performs his original songs (written by Guare;
"Where is the Devil in Evelyn?" is the most
memorable) for a bar crowd. Then it's off to his Queens
apartment, where we meet the cuckoo Bananas (Lana K. Hoover)
and—great character name alert—Bunny Flingus
(Lisha Brock), Artie's platinum-bouffanted
fling. Once Artie and Bunny get Bananas into the nut house,
they can go live their dreams in La La Land.
But it won't be so simple, of course. In the second act we
meet Corrinna
(Elizabeth Conly),
the glamorous but accidental-hearing-impaired actress
girlfriend of filmmaker Billy (Eugene Chandler), the hometown
boy who did well in Hollywood. And then there's Ronnie, a
troubled kid who was sent away to military school and has
returned, bomb in tow. He's planning to blow up Pope Paul VI,
who's visiting the Big Apple. Throw in a trio of nuns (Beverly
Murray, Becca Nordeen,
Hilary Evitt)
and you have the makings of something altogether bonkers and
wonderful.
There isn't a local actor more suited for the 45-year-old
Artie than Wold, whose giant pop-eyes and round cheeks are the
stuff of outrageous comedy. He's a little slumped over and
world-weary, but never lets go of that youthful optimism that
will take him places. There's fine work from Conly
and Brock, too, but it's Hoover who holds everything together.
Her Bananas is out-there, yet she emerges as the most sane
character of the bunch, which is how Guare planned it. The
ending is startling, yes, but it befits Guare's
idea of a Strindberg-Feydeau
union.
A good-looking set (by Jack Hardaway)
and costumes (by Beverly Murray) bring it all home. There are
two weekends left for this House, and by the final
performances, the comic timing should be spit-shined to
perfection, newly blossomed like the bare tree that became
instantly covered with blue "leaves." You'd be
bananas not to catch it before it flutters away.
THE
DALLAS OBSERVER
"There's an
insanely well acted House of
Blue Leaves in Arlington..."
-Elaine Liner
Follow
this link to
read more.
THE COLUMN
It's so wonderful when a production is done right, and
Theatre Arlington has done a fantastic job with its latest
offering, John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves. As a whole, the
entire production has polish not often seen in community theater
and outside a few extremely nitpicky items and I would expect
this production to be a front-runner for lots of local awards.
Blue Leaves had a troubled creation, and many still find the
second act a bit awkward. Critics argue over whether it is a
Black Comedy, Drama, or even Farce, when all elements are
present. Guare's (at the time of its premiere) unusual style of
storytelling was very discussion worthy then, but is less
shocking now. The plot centers on Artie Shaughnessy, a loser
with big dreams but no skills to back them up. He plans with his
lover, Bunny Flingus, how to make it big in showbiz while
struggling with what to do with his crazy wife Bananas. We meet
this group around a visit by the Pope in 1965. Artie and
Banana's son, Ronnie has gone AWOL from the service, has snuck
home and plans to blow up the Pope. Throw in a visit from
several Nuns trying to see the Pope, a MP, and eventually the
showbiz (and childhood) friend who has "made it", and
you have the full cast.
At the time of its premiere, everyone was fascinated by Guare's
unusual portrayal of the crumbling of the American Dream, the
dissolution of the middle/lower classes in their struggle and
failure to rise above their means. These characters delude
themselves in everything from their sanity, happiness, love,
abilities, and expectations. While this candid look at these
characters, who often address the audience was novel at the
time, some wonder about the relevance in today's society. I
think there is less of a punch to Guare's style now as we're
used to these characters, we know them. House of Blue Leaves is
the stage version of a reality TV show. Think about it, we're
the fly on the wall and privy to not only everyone's actions,
but their "confessional" monologues, given
specifically for our benefit to clarify their thinking. Reality
TV has made the ambitious loser a celebrity in their own right.
We are addicted to their struggles, mock them in their delusion,
critique their downfall, watch their interviews on Letterman,
then download their singles off Itunes. We all know what their
mistake is and if we were in their shoes, we would have done it
so much better, and differently. Is Artie any more deluded than
the first round audition folks of American Idol? How many
episodes of The Real World, could producers stretch out of these
storylines, and manipulate them to keep us interested? I'd wager
Blue Leaves is still relevant today, just as interesting, but
less shocking now that we're used to the devious alliances as
folks are voted off the island.
BJ Cleveland has assembled a fine cast that deliver solid
performances. Leaves will make you laugh, then turn around and
sucker punch you, and you'll like it. Ted Wold's wide-eyed Artie
is pitiful, earnest, and the neighborhood guy we all know. Wold
is in full control, never over the top, and keeps Artie's
enthusiasm in check with his frustration as the events progress.
He is a delight to watch and his characters progression is
justified, motivated, and completely believable.
Lana Hoover plays Bananas without resorting to any cheap laughs,
schtick, or scene stealing. Hoover 's physicality and voice
brings the lovable and tragic Bananas to life in a finely
crafted manner. There's a lot of subtlety there, so keep an eye
on her. Bunny Flingus, as portrayed by Lisha Brock is fun to
watch. The scheming Bunny delivers her punch lines with
excellent timing, and is quite good at manipulating Artie with
gestures, looks, and all the things not in the script. Young
Skyy Moore does well as Ronnie. Moore clearly conveys the
intention of the lines in a natural manner without making the
teen contemporary. He is consistent and never goes overboard
when it would be very easy to do so.
The supporting cast is strong as well. Eugene Chandler and
Elizabeth Conly do well as the Showbiz success stories that
represent Artie's dreams. Nuns Beverly Murray, Becca Nordeen,
and Hilary Evitt have some scene stealing moments, and work very
well as a group, especially in ad-lib reactions. Tyler Kirk is
effective in his brief appearance as the policeman.
Cleveland has created a tightly knit cast and piece. His pace of
storytelling is quite good, and the first act, which has
essentially three characters, passes pleasantly and quickly. His
tight control over the farcical scenes allows them to fit in the
story humorously without seeming ridiculous or extreme. The
characters are presented naturally, and not treated as
stereotypes, nor taken to extremes for an overly stylized
statement. Cleveland allows the piece to speak for itself, and
it does so quite successfully.
Jack Hardaway's set is wonderful. The apartment unit looks lived
in, and has been dressed very thoroughly. The sheet music at the
top was a very nice touch and thematic reminder.. I was
especially impressed with the realistic floor. Michael Winters
lights are so effortless, you forget they are carefully
designed. Everything looks realistic, and the absence of any hot
spots or holes provides a complete and even look. Compliments as
well to Sarah Barnes, Stage Manager, for great timing in calling
cues that help us shift back and forth comfortably without
making a scene change a moment itself and disrupting the story.
Bevery Murray's costumes are fun and appropriate to the
characters, without resorting to period extremes for effect.
The House of Blue Leaves is not a piece you'll see done often,
but if you want to see it done well, this would be the one.
Reviewed by Clyde Berry
Associate Theater Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
Audience
Feedback:
"This is
one of the funniest, deeply hysterical character studies I've
seen in the Metroplex
in 30 years."
- Rex Bierko
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES runs through
May 24, 2009
Thursdays @ 7:30 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.
Sundays @ 2 p.m.
To
purchase tickets follow this link!
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