fbpx
Wikipedia

The House of Blue Leaves

February 16, 2024

For the film, see The House of Blue Leaves (film).
Not to be confused with House of Leaves.

The House of Blue Leaves is a play by American playwright John Guare which premiered Off-Broadway in 1971, and was revived in 1986, both Off-Broadway and on Broadway, and was again revived on Broadway in 2011. The play won the Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play and the Obie Award for Best American Play in 1971. The play is set in 1965, when Pope Paul VI visited New York City.

The House of Blue Leaves
Poster by James McMullan
Written byJohn Guare
Date premiered1966
Place premieredEugene O'Neill Theater Center
Waterford, Connecticut
Original languageEnglish
SubjectA zookeeper longs to write songs for the movies as his AWOL son and the Pope arrive in New York City.
GenreBlack comedy
SettingA bar and an apartment in Queens, New York, 1965.

Overview edit

The play is set in Sunnyside, Queens, New York City, New York, in 1965, on the day Pope Paul VI visited. The black comedy focuses on Artie Shaughnessy, a zookeeper who dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a songwriter. Artie wants to take his girlfriend Bunny with him to Hollywood. His wife Bananas is a schizophrenic and destined for the institution that provides the play's title. Their son Ronnie, a GI scheduled for deployment to Vietnam, has gone AWOL. Three nuns are eager to see the pope and end up in Artie's apartment. A political bombing mistakenly occurs in the apartment.

Productions edit

The first act of The House of Blue Leaves was first staged in 1966 at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. According to Jane Kathleen Curry, (Assistant Professor of Theater at Wake Forest University) Guare "rewrote the second act many times and attributes part of his difficulty to his lack of technical skill in writing for a large number of characters in a full-length play."[1]

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

A revival directed by Jerry Zaks was staged Off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, opening on March 19, 1986, then transferring to Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on April 29, 1986, where it played five months before transferring again to the Plymouth Theatre on October 14, 1986, closing on March 15, 1987, for a total run of 398 performances. The Off-Broadway cast included Swoosie Kurtz (Bananas), John Mahoney (Artie), Stockard Channing (Bunny), Christopher Walken (Billy), Ben Stiller (Ronnie, in his stage debut), and Julie Hagerty (Corrinna). Danny Aiello replaced Walken as Billy when the production moved to Broadway. Christine Baranski joined the production on June 24, 1986, as Bunny, and Patricia Clarkson joined the production on June 3, 1986, as Corrinna.[2]

It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival. It was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.

A 2011 Broadway revival was staged by David Cromer at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Starring Ben Stiller (Artie), Edie Falco (Bananas), Christopher Abbott (Ronnie), and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Bunny), the production began previews on April 4, opening on April 15 for a limited 16-week engagement.[3]

Television edit

Directed by Kirk Browning and Jerry Zaks, the play was staged at the Plymouth Theatre in 1987 with Swoosie Kurtz, John Mahoney, Christine Baranski, and Ben Stiller specifically for a broadcast on the PBS series American Playhouse. The telefilm was broadcast in May 1987.[4][5][6][7]

The film adaptation was shot before an audience,[8] with minicams.

Critical reception edit

Clive Barnes, in his review of the 1971 Off-Broadway production for The New York Times wrote: "You will have noticed, I presume, that comedy has taken on a hysterical edge. The laughter is manic, and the world is awry. Few worlds are more awry than John Guare's, whose play, 'The House of Blue Leaves,' opened last night at the Truck and Warehouse Theater. Mr. Guare's play is mad, funny, at times very funny, and sprawling."[9]

The Variety reviewer of the 2011 revival wrote: "Guare’s iconic play not only holds up, it still sets the bar for smart comic lunacy.... Guare is famous for the zany plots that illustrate his surreal visions of what passes for modern civilization.... But the key to the play lies beyond these apartment walls, in the broader framework of the unsettled period of the mid-Sixties, when America was still reeling from the assassination of JFK and just becoming aware of what was going on in Vietnam."[10]

Awards and nominations edit

1971 production edit

1986 production edit

  • Tony Award for Best Play (nomination)
  • Tony Award Best Direction of a Play, Jerry Zaks (winner)
  • Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Play, John Mahoney (winner)
  • Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play
Swoosie Kurtz (winner)
Stockard Channing (nominee)
  • Tony Award Best Scenic Design, Tony Walton (winner)
  • Tony Award Best Costume Design, Ann Roth (nominee)
  • Tony Award Best Lighting Design, Paul Gallo (nominee)
  • Theatre World Award, Julie Hagerty (winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival (winner)
  • Drama Desk, Outstanding Set Design, Tony Walton (winner)
  • Drama Desk, Outstanding Director, Jarry Zaks (winner)
  • Obie Award, Best Performance, Swoosie Kurtz (winner)
  • Clarence Derwent Award, John Mahoney (winner)
  • Henry Hewes Design Award, Tony Walton (winner)

2011 production edit

  • Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play – Edie Falco (nominee)

References edit

  1. ^ Curry, Jane Kathleen. "The Plays" John Guare: A Research and Production Sourcebook, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, ISBN 0313312524, p.50
  2. ^ "'The House of Blue Leaves' Broadway 1986" playbillvault.com, accessed November 14, 2015
  3. ^ Gans, Andrew. "'House of Blue Leaves' Revival, With Ben Stiller and Edie Falco, Begins on Broadway April 4" 2011-04-17 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, April 4, 2011
  4. ^ "The House of Blue Leaves". imdb.com. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  5. ^ Drake, Silvie (May 25, 1987). "TV Review : The Force Is Still With 'House Of Blue Leaves". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ "The House of Blue Leaves Cast and Crew". tv.com. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  7. ^ Roberts, Jerry (2009). "Jerry Zaks". Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 640. ISBN 978-0810863781.
  8. ^ "The House of Blue Leaves (tv)". paleycenter.org. Paley Center. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  9. ^ Barnes, Clive. "Theater: John Guare's 'House of Blue Leaves' Opens', The New York Times, February 11, 1971, p. 54, ISSN 0362-4331
  10. ^ Stasio, Marilyn. "Review: ‘The House of Blue Leaves’" Variety, April 25, 2011

Further reading edit

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

External links edit

February 16, 2024
house, blue, leaves, film, film, confused, with, house, leaves, play, american, playwright, john, guare, which, premiered, broadway, 1971, revived, 1986, both, broadway, broadway, again, revived, broadway, 2011, play, drama, critics, circle, award, best, ameri. For the film see The House of Blue Leaves film Not to be confused with House of Leaves The House of Blue Leaves is a play by American playwright John Guare which premiered Off Broadway in 1971 and was revived in 1986 both Off Broadway and on Broadway and was again revived on Broadway in 2011 The play won the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play and the Obie Award for Best American Play in 1971 The play is set in 1965 when Pope Paul VI visited New York City The House of Blue LeavesPoster by James McMullanWritten byJohn GuareDate premiered1966Place premieredEugene O Neill Theater CenterWaterford ConnecticutOriginal languageEnglishSubjectA zookeeper longs to write songs for the movies as his AWOL son and the Pope arrive in New York City GenreBlack comedySettingA bar and an apartment in Queens New York 1965 Contents 1 Overview 2 Productions 3 Television 4 Critical reception 5 Awards and nominations 5 1 1971 production 5 2 1986 production 5 3 2011 production 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksOverview editThe play is set in Sunnyside Queens New York City New York in 1965 on the day Pope Paul VI visited The black comedy focuses on Artie Shaughnessy a zookeeper who dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a songwriter Artie wants to take his girlfriend Bunny with him to Hollywood His wife Bananas is a schizophrenic and destined for the institution that provides the play s title Their son Ronnie a GI scheduled for deployment to Vietnam has gone AWOL Three nuns are eager to see the pope and end up in Artie s apartment A political bombing mistakenly occurs in the apartment Productions editThe first act of The House of Blue Leaves was first staged in 1966 at the Eugene O Neill Theater Center in Waterford Connecticut According to Jane Kathleen Curry Assistant Professor of Theater at Wake Forest University Guare rewrote the second act many times and attributes part of his difficulty to his lack of technical skill in writing for a large number of characters in a full length play 1 The House of Blue Leaves opened on February 10 1971 Off Broadway at the Truck and Warehouse Theatre where it ran for 337 performances Directed by Mel Shapiro the cast included Frank Converse Harold Gould Katherine Helmond William Atherton Anne Meara and Robert Burton A revival directed by Jerry Zaks was staged Off Broadway at the Mitzi E Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts opening on March 19 1986 then transferring to Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on April 29 1986 where it played five months before transferring again to the Plymouth Theatre on October 14 1986 closing on March 15 1987 for a total run of 398 performances The Off Broadway cast included Swoosie Kurtz Bananas John Mahoney Artie Stockard Channing Bunny Christopher Walken Billy Ben Stiller Ronnie in his stage debut and Julie Hagerty Corrinna Danny Aiello replaced Walken as Billy when the production moved to Broadway Christine Baranski joined the production on June 24 1986 as Bunny and Patricia Clarkson joined the production on June 3 1986 as Corrinna 2 It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival It was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play A 2011 Broadway revival was staged by David Cromer at the Walter Kerr Theatre Starring Ben Stiller Artie Edie Falco Bananas Christopher Abbott Ronnie and Jennifer Jason Leigh Bunny the production began previews on April 4 opening on April 15 for a limited 16 week engagement 3 Television editDirected by Kirk Browning and Jerry Zaks the play was staged at the Plymouth Theatre in 1987 with Swoosie Kurtz John Mahoney Christine Baranski and Ben Stiller specifically for a broadcast on the PBS series American Playhouse The telefilm was broadcast in May 1987 4 5 6 7 The film adaptation was shot before an audience 8 with minicams Critical reception editClive Barnes in his review of the 1971 Off Broadway production for The New York Times wrote You will have noticed I presume that comedy has taken on a hysterical edge The laughter is manic and the world is awry Few worlds are more awry than John Guare s whose play The House of Blue Leaves opened last night at the Truck and Warehouse Theater Mr Guare s play is mad funny at times very funny and sprawling 9 The Variety reviewer of the 2011 revival wrote Guare s iconic play not only holds up it still sets the bar for smart comic lunacy Guare is famous for the zany plots that illustrate his surreal visions of what passes for modern civilization But the key to the play lies beyond these apartment walls in the broader framework of the unsettled period of the mid Sixties when America was still reeling from the assassination of JFK and just becoming aware of what was going on in Vietnam 10 Awards and nominations edit1971 production edit Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play winner Obie Award for Best American Play winner Clarence Derwent Award Katherine Helmond winner 1986 production edit Tony Award for Best Play nomination Tony Award Best Direction of a Play Jerry Zaks winner Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Play John Mahoney winner Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a PlaySwoosie Kurtz winner Stockard Channing nominee Tony Award Best Scenic Design Tony Walton winner Tony Award Best Costume Design Ann Roth nominee Tony Award Best Lighting Design Paul Gallo nominee Theatre World Award Julie Hagerty winner Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival winner Drama Desk Outstanding Set Design Tony Walton winner Drama Desk Outstanding Director Jarry Zaks winner Obie Award Best Performance Swoosie Kurtz winner Clarence Derwent Award John Mahoney winner Henry Hewes Design Award Tony Walton winner 2011 production edit Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play Edie Falco nominee References edit Curry Jane Kathleen The Plays John Guare A Research and Production Sourcebook Greenwood Publishing Group 2002 ISBN 0313312524 p 50 The House of Blue Leaves Broadway 1986 playbillvault com accessed November 14 2015 Gans Andrew House of Blue Leaves Revival With Ben Stiller and Edie Falco Begins on Broadway April 4 Archived 2011 04 17 at the Wayback Machine playbill com April 4 2011 The House of Blue Leaves imdb com Retrieved November 14 2015 Drake Silvie May 25 1987 TV Review The Force Is Still With House Of Blue Leaves Los Angeles Times The House of Blue Leaves Cast and Crew tv com Retrieved November 14 2015 Roberts Jerry 2009 Jerry Zaks Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors Scarecrow Press p 640 ISBN 978 0810863781 The House of Blue Leaves tv paleycenter org Paley Center Retrieved November 14 2015 Barnes Clive Theater John Guare s House of Blue Leaves Opens The New York Times February 11 1971 p 54 ISSN 0362 4331 Stasio Marilyn Review The House of Blue Leaves Variety April 25 2011Further reading editGuare John The House of Blue Leaves New York Samuel French 1994 ISBN 0 573 61028 2External links edit The House of Blue Leaves at the Internet Broadway Database 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 IMDb nbsp Working in the Theatre The House of Blue Leaves panel discussion featuring the creators of the 1986 production 90 minutes streaming video Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The House of Blue Leaves amp oldid 1194372846, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.