The Black Hole Theatre Company Presents
The House of Blue Leaves
By John Guare
Directed by George Toles
March 13 – 17, 20 - 24
at the Black Hole Theatre
The third mainstage show of the Black Hole’s 2011-2012 season is John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves.
The action takes place in October, 1965, the day of Pope Paul’s visit to New York to make a plea to the U.N. to end the war in Vietnam. As the Vatican motorcade wends its way through Sunnyside, Queens, Bunny Flingus persuades her middle-aged zookeeper boyfriend , Artie Shaugnessy, to seek a blessing on their union and on the as yet unrecognized “pop songs” Artie has written. To complicate matters a bit, Artie is still living with a depressed to the point of catatonia wife, Bananas, who Bunny is pushing him to have committed, so that the last obstacle to the happy life they deserve will be cleared away. Bunny’s biggest plan, which Artie fervently embraces, is for the couple to move to California together, where Artie’s old neighborhood pal, Billy Einhorn, has gained fame as a movie director. Billy will surely open doors for them. Also part of this fermenting domestic stew is Ronnie, the son of Artie and Bananas, who unbeknownst to his parents has gone AWOL from army basic training. He has built a bomb with which he hopes to assassinate the Pope. Chaos, as they say, ensues when in addition to these figures, a trio of nuns, a deaf movie starlet, and director Billy Einhorn himself show up in the Shaughnessey flat. Tra-la-la.
Director Toles dubs this play a “tragic farce,” in an attempt to do justice to its singular, hellzapoppin blend of terror and delight, squalor and giddy high spirits. The play is widely regarded as American playwright Guare’s masterpiece, and it has received many awards, including the Drama Critics’ Circle Award, the Obie Award, and the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Play. It has been successfully revived many times, most recently last summer in New York, with an all-star cast that included Ben Stiller, Edie Falco, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Toles says "I directed a student production of Blue Leaves in the Black Hole almost thirty years ago, in 1982. That cast included Jeff Madden, Pam Percy, Judith Hale, Greg Klymkiw, Neila Smith Benson, John Harvie, Cathy Crawley, and in the small but memorable role of an insane asylum attendant, Guy Maddin. (The play’s Talent Show Prologue featured Peter Bailey, Jocelyn Thorvaldson, Kathy France, John Stinson, and numerous audacious others. Including an unforgettable Herb Alpert trio.)The original Black Hole production—one of the first productions I directed here—proved to be one of the most satisfying emotional and aesthetic experiences of my life. I am attempting to disprove the stern ancient adage “You can’t go home again” by revisiting it. Perhaps I know a bit more about zookeeping, the perils of seeking celebrity with very little talent, and madness than I did back then."
As David Rooney wrote about the most recent revival, “When the play was written (1970), fame was still an unattainable fantasy to the average American, conjured through visions of movie stardom and Ed Sullivan Show appearances, or, in extreme cases, criminal notoriety. In this era of of instant, talent-optional celebrity, every schmuck with a pushy attitude feels entitled to his or her 15 minutes, mostly aspiring to fame itself, not to any professional excellence as a means to it. That makes the aching hunger with which Guare’s characters chase stardom, or access to it, quaint, poignant, and ever more pertinent.”
There are many whirling dervish turns in The House of Blue Leaves. And SONGS. And LAUGHTER. And EXPLOSIONS. Come to see it, if you dare. We are looking for a very special sort of audience member, and though we make no promises, of course, you just might qualify. Some audience members from our original production have gone on to become famous. It could happen to you.s
Performances at the Black Hole Theatre, lower level of University College.
7:00 pm Mar 13th and 20nd
8:00pm Mar 14th-17th, 21nd -24th
Tickets: $15 Adults, $12 Students and Seniors
Tickets can either be purchased at the door or in advance.
For reservations and group discounts contact the 24hr Box Office at 474-6880. visit our web site: bhtc.ca
For interview requests please contact Anne Tuma, Publicists at 474-7655
or by email: publicity@bhtc.ca