Hilarious ‘House of Blue Leaves’ opens

Production continues June 11 and 12

By TOM KANE

CALLICOON, NY — In the 18th century, a reviewer of a play by the ingenious French dramatist and philosopher, Voltaire, began his critique by saying that the play was “too funny to be a tragedy.”

I might say the same of John Guare’s “House of Blue Leaves,” which opened June 5 at Harmonie Hall at the Western Hotel in Callicoon. By any standard, especially when you consider the ending (which I won’t reveal to you), Guare’s play is a tragedy.

But it’s a seriously funny tragedy (a tragicomedy if you want to be technical). All the characters, from beginning to end, remain tragic figures with not one, but many flaws, and all of them are pathetic and hilarious.

The principal flaw is owned by the protagonist, Artie Shaughnessy—remarkably portrayed by the dramatically talented Randy Hennig—who is in the horns of a dilemma.

The horns go by the names of Bananas, Artie’s wife (a fitting name), and Bunny Flingus, his hot lover who lives downstairs in the same apartment house in Queens, NY.

Artie, a zookeeper in the Central Park Zoo, dreams of being a famous Hollywood songwriter, even though he is without any musical talent and his songs are mostly stolen melodies or inane lyrics.

Bananas, played with remarkable detachment by Ramona Jan of Damascus, PA, is rather insane and wanders around the house doing bizarre things.

Bunny, played with inexhaustible exuberance by Lori Schubeler, refuses to cook for Artie despite the man’s strange, unexplained food fetish.

Artie tries without success to inform his zany wife that he is in love with Bunny and that he intends to go to Hollywood to be with his old neighborhood buddy, a has-been Hollywood director named Billy Einhorn (another nut, but more on him later).

Artie’s son, Ronnie, has an unfortunate flaw that he has little control over—his father.

Between and among the three main characters is cast a rare assortment of nuts and screwballs, such as Billy’s out-of-it deaf lover, Corrina Stroller, played with proper abstraction by Donna Sauer-Jones, and three voyeur nuns (the play’s background is the day Pope Paul VI visited New York City), who wander into the apartment from the roof where they can’t see the pope.

Billy Einhorn, the over-emotional failure of a movie director, played bombastically by Jim Sullivan, comes to help Artie and ends up stealing Bunny from him.

I ought to end my review right here because I don’t want to spoil the story for you if you decide—I hope you do—to see the play, which will be performed twice more at Harmonie Hall this weekend, June 11 and 12, at 8:00 p.m.

The play, produced by Way Off Broadway, Too in association with Theatricks by Starlight, was directed by Syeus Mottel. The production will travel to the State Theater in Deposit, NY for performances July 22 through 25.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for seniors. For more information call 845/932-8050.