Suddenly his 17 year old kid Ronnie breaks his way into the apartment clad in Army fatigues, but makes a stealthy escape undetected at the sound of the doorbell. It is based on the Pope's visit to New York City on October 4, 1965. The sober intensity of Cromer’s approach makes Guare’s cruel destination seem a logical place to arrive, rather than a stinging slap as you exit the fun house. Guare discusses his inspirations for the play as well as its major themes. ." Artie does both hate her and love her. Economic resources were drained by the war. Unfortunately, he is unrealistic about his life and his chances for success. “The House of Blue Leaves,” in case anyone needs reminding, is a satiric farce about a middle-aged zookeeper, named Artie Shaughnessy, who has a knack for writing imitations of cheap popular songs, and who is the victim of a number of American dreams, which finally destroy him. Yet at the first chance she gets—Billy’s offer to move to Australia—she dumps Artie for a new, more exciting life. When Artie responds to Banana’s call, Bunny makes herself scarce in the kitchen. Still, the play remains unfulfilled....” Clurman continued: “[S]omething disturbs it. Several critics noted the skillful manner in which Guare portrayed the quest for personal success as defined by a shallow value system. But he mines pathos at the expense of the play’s life-giving humor, particularly in the ponderous first act. His request for the lights to dim and a spotlight to single him out go unmet which results in a fit of frustration that builds into outright anger with the realization that his songs are also being ignored by the house audience. His first play was produced in 1962. The story focuses on one man's desire for success as a big-time songwriter, which clashes with his demanding, middle-class family life. Among the summaries and analysis available for The House of Blue Leaves , there are 1 Full Study Guide, 1 Short Summary and 2 Book Reviews. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Several critics noted the skillful manner in which Guare portrayed the quest for personal success as defined by a shallow value system. Terms of Use | Bunny confesses her desire for Banana’s death, while Corrinna discusses her deafness. He works in a New York zoo taking care of animals, but he is really a frustrated songwriter and singer. She ignores the fact that Artie still has some feelings for his wife, and that Bananas is a bit more intelligent than she thinks. A foreword to The House of Blue Leaves, Viking Press, 1972, pp. Billy leaves on the advice that Artie’s life is about taking care of Bananas, not pursuing a dream that will never come true. As a result, Nixon curbed American involvement in Vietnam in 1971. Drama for Students. Consumer complaints and concerns were addressed by the federal, local, and state governments. Bananas recalls the point she started losing touch with reality. Ronnie is arrested, but Billy gets him released. Revived on Broadway in 1986, it won more awards for him, including a Tony. Each of the female characters, two major (Bunny and Bananas) and two minor (Corrinna Stroller and the Little Nun), works to a specific end. Just before she leaves, she remembers the two tickets to see the Pope when he delivers mass at Yankee Stadium which she hands over to the nuns. Nearly every major character in The House of Blue Leaves talks to the audience. Bananas tries to bring her husband back to reality in unusual ways. Artie grabs her around the neck and chokes the life out of her. She garners these values from movie magazines and television. Realizing that Artie will always be a failure, Bunny latches on to the already successful—and famous—Billy and leaves with him. 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. That makes the aching hunger with which Guare’s characters chase stardom, or access to it, quaint, poignant and ever more pertinent. Billy’s girlfriend, Corrinna Stroller (Allison Pill), turns up to visit. David Cromer’s production overplays the melancholy and under-serves the humor, but the enduring originality of John Guare’s breakthrough play prevails. He has a girlfriend, Bunny, who is selfish and controlling. Guare’s marvellous comic writing, in which every word plays, and his ferocious high spirits glow more than ever in these drab days, but the performance, under the acute, sensitive direction of Jerry Zaks, is what makes most of the difference between the first production and this one. A review of The House of Blue Leaves, in Time, March 31, 1986, p. 77. With me behind you!”. Bunny also accuses Bananas of faking her illness, based on what she has learned from films. Bunny tries to control Artie. Luring him on is a vague, extorted promise from his school chum Billy Einhorn, now a successful movie director; further enmeshing him is a whole human zoo that stampedes into his modest Queens apartment, notably his violently lunatic son, Ronnie, AWOL from Fort Dix and planning to blow up Pope Paul on his current visit to New York. The Hollywood director, Billy Einhorn, steals her away with promise of two years in Australia and a glamorous lifestyle. Costume designer: Jane Greenwood Bunny figures out that Artie performed during amateur night at the El Dorado and is both angry and supportive. Billy gives her money to move into Bunny’s apartment and help care for Bananas. They want what the famous have: laurel and loot, stardust and a place in the sun. Similarly, the Civil Service Commission banned gender-based job designations. The comedy routines, though, flourish expectably under Zaks, who gets almost a whole comic act’s worth from the mere prologue, in which Artie performs some of his dismal, but not much worse than average, songs at the El Dorado Bar & Grill in Sunnyside. The Little Nun represents reality; a confused, unhappy young woman, she is one of three nuns that get stuck on the roof trying to get a good view of the Pope. Zookeeper and would-be songwriter Artie Shaughnessy plays and sings to unreceptive, jeering patrons of El Dorado Bar on amateur night. Artie remains unimpressed. Like Bananas, Ronnie suffers from severe mental illness and has violent, paranoid fantasies. Bunny tells the audience that she wishes Bananas was dead. The performances of both women are extraordinary—exquisitely evolved, perfectly sustained and played together in a duet of comic counterpoint that is dazzling to watch. help you understand the book. He is frustrated when he cannot get the house lights turned down and a spotlight to shine on him. The play is set in 1965, when Pope Paul VI visited New York City. If there is a The House of Blue Leaves SparkNotes, Shmoop guide, or Cliff Notes, you can find a link to each study guide below. A review of The House of Blue Leaves, in The Nation, March 1, 1971, p. 285. Artie kills her at the end of the play. Artie Shaughnessy sits at the piano and sings some of his songs. For example, Artie is unhappy with his life because he believes that he should be a famous songwriter. His monologue ends when Artie’s key is heard in the door. 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. The Strands Entwined: A New Direction in American Drama, Northeastern University Press, 1980, pp. Ronnie hands his gift-wrapped package to Corrinna before he leaves. Bunny is focused on one thing: attaching herself to someone famous and successful. Bananas tells him that she cannot go see the Pope because her fingernails are different lengths. EMAIL ME. Playwright and actor Artie protests while Bunny pushes forward her sensible plan for Bananas to head to Mexico for a quickie divorce. Artie, with the knowledge of Bunny, is in the process of making arrangements to put Bananas into an asylum. 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. Nearly every character in The House of Blue Leaves is betrayed by another—or by his or her own desires. The House of Blue Leaves Summary & Study Guide. Artie’s humiliations are related to his individual relationships with these women, from the crazy Bananas to the nun who will take Bunny’s apartment and care for his wife. His pronouncement falls on deaf ears as Corrinna tells Artie that she and Billy have decided to move to Australia. For example, Henry Hewes in the Saturday Review of Literature maintained “John Guare’s Off-Broadway hit The House of Blue Leaves... outrageously yet responsibly depicts the doomed career of Artie Shaughnessy....” Later in the same review, Hewes contended, “Guare’s comic facility is inextricable from an utter and moving emotional sincerity.”, Hewes is representative of critics who perceive The House of Blue Leaves as a unique balance of these elements. Corrinna is Billy’s girlfriend and her looming presence catches him by surprise. Why, with theater attendance and box-office income so low, with only thirty-three openings this season (the lowest in Broadway history), should we do anything but rejoice at every good play, newborn or resurrected, that succeeds in getting itself soundly “clapper-clawed by the vulgar”? However, he is not particularly gifted. In the cliches of his lyrics we hear that dream. Harvey As soon as Artie enters, Corrinna Stroller appears at the door. John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves is his most popular and arguably most important play. Not affiliated with Harvard College. The revival of John Guare’s “The House of Blue Leaves,” at the Newhouse, in Lincoln Center, is infinitely better than its original production, fifteen years ago—and I had not thought anything could be. Get The House of Blue Leaves from Amazon.com. For example, Bunny views the Pope’s visit as not a religious or cultural event, but as pure entertainment, like the opening of a movie or a play. She launches into recalling the exact moment that her grip on reality started getting loose. Ronnie was so eager to play the part of Huckleberry Finn that he acted like an idiot in front of Billy, and Billy thought he was retarded. His father, Edward, worked in the Wall Street stock exchange as a clerk. GradeSaver, 13 October 2016 Web. Although this particular action fails, Bananas ultimately gets her way. Very quickly Bunny deduces that Artie’s sour mood is the result of his amateur night performance down at the El Dorado. As he performs his dreadful Tin Pan Alley ditties at a local amateur night in the play’s prelude, the comedy of awkwardness is excruciating. . will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. Based on Guare’s father (who referred to his Wall Street job as a “zoo”), Artie comes home from his job to an untidy house. Realizing that Bunny is about to leave behind an empty apartment, he gives the nun money so she can move in, providing she agrees to help Artie care for Bananas.