sign in sign up
<<
Home , The House of Blue Leaves, Thomas Sadoski

THEATRE On Broadway: HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES with and By Mike Martinez

(L): Ben Stiller as Artie. (R): Ben, Edie Falco and

apartment to watch the Pope on TV, and a visit from a Hollywood starlet who looses her hearing aid. Artie’s The highly anticipated and star filled revival of dreams are further jolted by a visit from his child- ’s offers hood friend turned Hollywood director Billy Einhorn audiences a rare opportunity to see a mod- (), who visit is first seen as a sign of ern classic and a theatrical highwire act that hope that ultimately turns tragic. requires an expert touch to handle it’s mix of zany comedy and tragedy. Director The superb cast assembled for this production is explores the more tragic elements of this unique definitely another reason to rush to see The House of and moving play that examines the dreams and Blue Leaves. Ben Stiller delivers a moving and funny delusions of a zookeeper in on the day the performance as Artie. Edie Falco’s haunting perfor- Pope visits in 1965. mance as Bananas is a revelation. Falco disappears into her role that is receiving Tony Award buzz. The The play opens with Artie Shauhnessy (Ben Stiller) highlight of the production is Jennifer Jason Leigh’s singing and playing piano in a Queens saloon to hilarious performance as Bunny Flingus. Christopher an audience of hecklers and drinkers who have no Abbott is also excellent as the bomb-making son, desire to listen his poorly composed songs. Artie Ronnie Shaughnessy. dreams of escaping to Hollywood to compose songs for films and to visit an old friend who has become a This production also offers the opportunity to revisit famous director. His dreams are further inspired by the work of a great playwright, John Guare. I was Artie’s ambitious and ditzy mistress, Bunny Flin- introduced to Guare’s work when I had the oppor- gus (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who sees the Pope’s tunity to work on an Off Off Broadway production of visit as a divine message for her and Artie to skip The House of Blue Leaves and I have also admired town and send Artie’s schizophrenic wife Bananas his plays Six Degrees of Separation, Landscape of ( Edie Falco), to a mental hospital to live out her the Body, and his screenplay for Louis Malle’s Atlantic days locked away from the world. Artie’s plans are City. Photos by Joan Marcus. derailed by his bomb-making son who is ready to HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES is playing at the Walter be sent to Vietnam, three nuns who invade their Kerr Theatre, 218 West 48th Street NYC. 21