Theatre Review: “The House Of Blue Leaves” Is A Quirky Comedy That Will Haunt You For Years

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Set in Queens on the famous day Pope Paul visits New York City, we are introduced to a zookeeper who dreams of writing ditties in Hollywood, his schizoid, shut-in wife (aptly named Bananas), and his quietly explosive son, a GI headed straight for Vietnam.

On Stage in Bedford continues their 30th anniversary with the opening of “The House of Blue Leaves.” Directed by the incredibly insightful and talented local artist and performer Mike Hathaway, “The House of Blue Leaves” tickled my sensibilities and tore at my heart all night long. There was never a minute of distraction. The acting was on point and the set was stupendous. Because of the intimate nature of the On Stage venue, I was completely pulled into the theatre magic that the cast, crew and director worked so hard to create.

Artie Shaugnessy (Jeremy Blaido) is a songwriter with visions of glory. Toiling by day as a zoo-keeper, he suffers in seedy lounges by night, plying his wears at piano bars in Queens, New York where he lives with his wife, Bananas (Sherri Small). Artie’s marital status and living situation is much to the chagrin of Artie’s downstairs mistress Bunny Flingus (Alexandria Fazzari). Bunny will sleep with Arti anytime – and pretty much anywhere – but refuses to cook until they are married.

On the day the Pope makes his first visit to the city, Artie’s son Ronnie (Jonathan Hardin) goes AWOL from Fort Dix, bringing with him a homemade bomb, intending to blow up the Pope. Also arriving are Artie’s old school chum, now a successful Hollywood producer, Billy Einhorn (Woody) and his starlet girlfriend Corrinna Stroller (Terry Gwynne). Einhorn holds the key to Artie’s dreams of getting out of Queens and away from the life he so despises. But like many dreams, this promise of glory evaporates amid the chaos of ordinary lives.

There is an especially funny prologue to the show. What was almost equally as funny was the audience’s confusion and reactions to the prologue. Bravo Mr. Blaido for brilliantly setting the mood and ambiance of what was to come!

Few things delight me more about an actor’s performance than when they are able to maintain a complete and specific dialect throughout a show. Many of the actors in “The House of Blue Leaves” do just this. Ms. Small and Ms. Fazzari absolutely blew me away with their exceptional use of dialect. Unfortunately, there were a few characters that I could never figure out where they were from, or what the actor was trying to make them sound like. Worst of all were the three nuns. Their accents wibble-wobbled from Irish to Brooklyn to Jersey Shore with little continuity. Although very definitely comic relief, a bit more stabilization on dialect, and perhaps black stockings for all three nuns would bring a great deal of realism to their parts in the play.

The amount of energy, characterization and dynamics that Jonathan Hardin brings to the role of Ronnie Shaughnessy was absolutely incredible to watch. I can’t wait to see him in future On Stage shows! Definitely a young man with a great deal of talent to offer.

As the lights went down on the last scene, I found myself wanting more. Perhaps not more of the chaotic, dark and weird world of the Shaugnessy house, but more of what these actors had to offer the audience and more of the perfectly nostalgic and finely dressed set where I kept seeing my grandmother’s chotchkies and decor. Set designer Kevin Brown has earned a feather in his cap with this show.

Hathaway said he has had this show rolling around in his head for almost 30 years (He was VERY young when he first saw it!). No detail with characterization or set design that was overlooked. It will most definitely leave you wondering who is the luckier bunch: the famous or the regular folks.

“The House of Blue Leaves” is playing at OnStage in Bedford August 14th – August 30th. Check out their website at www.onstageinbedford.com for more info.

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