[NEohioPAL] John Guare's wacky black comedy “The House of Blue Leaves” at Beck Center

[Fran Storch]

NEWS RELEASE


CONTACT:                    Kathleen Caffrey, 216.521.2540 x22 or kcaffrey at beckcenter.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    March 5, 2013



Beck Center presents wacky black comedy “The House of Blue Leaves”

Brilliant, bizarre farce by John Guare won Obie Award for “Best American Play”



Lakewood, OH— Beck Center for the Arts presents John Guare’s award-winning play, The House of Blue Leaves, March 22 through April 21, 2013 on the Mackey Main Stage. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. There is no performance on Sunday, March 31. Tickets are now on sale.

Winner of the 1971 Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play and the Obie Award for Best American Play, The House of Blue Leaves tells the story of Artie, an aspiring songwriter who works as a zookeeper by day, performs in seedy lounges at night and lives in Queens with his schizophrenic wife, Bananas, much to the chagrin of his mistress, Bunny. When an old school buddy, now a successful Hollywood movie director, arrives back in town, Artie plans to escape the life he despises. But like many dreams, this promise of glory evaporates amid the chaos of ordinary lives.

Directed by Russ Borski, The House of Blue Leaves features Equity actors Robert Ellis as Artie and Juliette Regnier as his mentally ill wife, Bananas. “I am thrilled to direct this poignant black comedy,” remarked Borski, “that explores the dark side of the American dream, the humiliation of our dreams, and examines our collective obsession with celebrity and how we pin our hopes on lives distant from our own.” The New York Times called The House of Blue Leaves an "enchantingly zany and original farce" and The New York Daily News said it is “a brilliant play…wacky…and outrageous.”



Tickets for The House of Blue Leaves are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors (65 and older), $12 for students (with valid I.D.), and $10 for children (12 and under). An additional $3 service fee per ticket is applied at the time of purchase. Preview Night on Thursday, March 21 is $10 with general admission seating. Flex Passes and group discounts (13 or more) are available. Purchase tickets online at beckcenter.org or call Customer Services at 216.521.2540, ext. 10. Beck Center for the Arts is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available.



Opening night patrons may also enjoy gallery exhibits, free musical entertainment by Lounge Kitty, complimentary appetizers, and happy hour drinks as Beck Center hosts “Marquee Friday” on March 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Daniels Lounge. Marquee Fridays, scheduled on opening nights throughout the theater season, are open to the public as part of Beck Center’s community engagement initiative.



Presented through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., this production of The House of Blue Leaves is sponsored by VIP Restoration and is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.



Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for special needs students, and free gallery exhibits featuring local, regional, and international artists.

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