The House of Blue Leaves

House of Blue Leaves, The (1971), a play by John Guare. [Truck and Warehouse Theatre, 337 perf.; NYDCC Award.] News of the Pope's impending visit to New York in 1965 seems to unhinge the zany Shaughnessy family. The father, Artie (Harold Gould), is a zookeeper who dreams of becoming a Hollywood songwriter and writes lyrics such as “Where is the devil in Evelyn?” The mother, Bananas (Katherine Helmond), is flakier still, sometimes confusing Brillo pads and hamburgers. Their son, Ronnie (William Atherton), has gone AWOL in hopes of blowing up the Pope. Even Artie's mistress, Bunny (Anne Meara), is kooky, living her life through Modern Screen magazine. Ronnie's plans backfire, and he is blown up by his own bomb. Bunny runs off with a Hollywood producer whom Artie had hoped would help him. Artie's reaction to all this is to throw his crazy wife out the window, then compose another inane ditty. Guare's first success, the play was a superb black comedy that was frequently produced across the country. It was revived by Lincoln Center to great acclaim in 1986 with John Mahoney, Stockard Channing, and Swoozie Kurtz in the cast.

John Guare 1971

John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves is his most popular and arguably most important play. It is based on the Pope’s visit to New York City on October 4, 1965.

Since the debut of The House of Blue Leaves Off-Broadway on February 10, 1971, however, critics have been divided over the play’s artistic merits. The story focuses on one man’s desire for success as a big-time songwriter, which clashes with his demanding, middle-class family life. Some reviewers did not know what to make of the play’s mix of black comedy, farce, realistic drama, and social commentary. They maintained that its come-dic elements undermined the serious issues of the play.

The critics that praised The House of Blue Leaves appreciated Guare’s treatment of ideas. They also lauded the manner in which he depicted the dark underside of the American dream, especially his emphasis on the destructive nature of the media on people’s dreams and personal lives. Several critics noted the skillful manner in which Guare portrayed the quest for personal success as defined by a shallow value system.

Despite the controversy, the play ran for 337 performances and garnered several prestigious awards for Guare, including the Obie and New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play. Revived on Broadway in 1986, it won more awards for him, including a Tony. Although critics were still divided over the value of The House of Blue Leaves during the revival, most appreciated the power and insight of Guare’s message.

For the film, see The House of Blue Leaves (film).

The House of Blue Leaves
Poster by James McMullan
Written by	John Guare
Date premiered	1966
Place premiered	Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Waterford, Connecticut
Original language	English
Subject	A zookeeper longs to write songs for the movies as his AWOL son and the Pope arrive in New York City
Genre	Black comedy
Setting	A bar and an apartment in Queens, New York, 1965
IBDB profile

The House of Blue Leaves is a play by American playwright John Guare, first staged in 1966 by Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut.

Set in Sunnyside, Queens in 1965, on the day Pope Paul VI visited New York City, the black comedy features nuns, a political bombing, a GI headed for Vietnam, a zookeeper who dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a songwriter, and his wife Bananas, a schizophrenic destined for the institution that provides the play's title.

Contents 1 Productions 2 Film adaptation 3 Awards and nominations 4 Further reading 5 External links

Productions

The House of Blue Leaves, directed by Mel Shapiro, opened on February 10, 1971 at the off-Broadway Truck and Warehouse Theatre, where it ran for 337 performances. The cast included Frank Converse, Harold Gould, Katherine Helmond, William Atherton, and Anne Meara.

A 1986 revival directed by Jerry Zaks was staged at the off-Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and then transferred to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, where it played five months before transferring again to the Plymouth Theatre, for a total run of 398 performances. The opening night cast included Swoosie Kurtz, John Mahoney, Stockard Channing, Danny Aiello, Ben Stiller, and Julie Hagerty. Christine Baranski and Patricia Clarkson joined the production later in the run. It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival.

Film adaptation

Directed by Kirk Browning and Jerry Zaks, the play was staged at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in 1987 with Swoosie Kurtz, John Mahoney, Christine Baranski, and Ben Stiller specifically for a broadcast on the PBS series American Playhouse. The film adaptation was shot with minicams before an audience.

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 1971 Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play
• 1971 Obie Award for Best American Play
• 1986 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival

Nominations

• 1986 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play

Further reading

• Guare, John, The House of Blue Leaves. New York: Samuel French 1994. ISBN 0-573-61028-2

External links

• The House of Blue Leaves at the Internet Broadway Database
• The House of Blue Leaves at the Internet off-Broadway Database
• The House of Blue Leaves at the Internet Movie Database
• Working in the Theatre: The House of Blue Leaves, panel discussion featuring the creators of the 1986 production (90 minutes, streaming video)

v • d • e Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play The Royal Family (1976) · Entertaining Mr Sloane (1982) · Death of a Salesman (1984) · Joe Egg (1985) · The House of Blue Leaves (1986) · Our Town (1989) · Anna Christie (1993) · An Inspector Calls (1994) · The Heiress (1995) · A Delicate Balance (1996) · A Doll's House (1997) · A View from the Bridge (1998) · Death of a Salesman / The Iceman Cometh (1999) · The Real Thing (2000) · The Best Man (2001) · Private Lives (2002) · Long Day's Journey into Night (2003) · Henry IV (2004) · Twelve Angry Men (2005) · Awake and Sing! (2006) · Journey's End (2007) · Boeing-Boeing (2008) · The Norman Conquests (2009)

v • d • e Obie Award for plays Home Movies (1964) · The Indian Wants the Bronx (1968) · What the Butler Saw (1970) · The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel (1971) · Bad Habits / The Hot l Baltimore / When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? (1973) · Short Eyes (1974) · For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf (1975) · Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You (1979) · FOB (1980) · Spunk (1989) · Floyd Collins / Love! Valour! Compassion! (1995) · How I Learned to Drive / Rent / The Vagina Monologues (1996) · Golden Child / Hedwig and the Angry Inch (1998) · Bug / The Romance of Magno Rubio (2003) · A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant (2004) · Ruined (2009)

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