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<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Becks HOUSE
OF BLUE LEAVES asks whether the whole world is crazy</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black">(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics
Circle)</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">A mans home
is his castle, unless its a zoo is the banner used to describe author John
Guares THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, which is now confounding audiences at Beck
Center for the Arts.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The
multi-award winning Guare, who not only authored BLUE LEAVES, but </span><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">SIX DEGREES OF
SEPARATION, which is now being staged at Karamu Theatre, is noted for his
highly theatrical scripts. <span style> </span>As an
absurdist, he probes into individual psyches by asking the existentialist
question, What is the purpose of life?</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">No play better exposes
Guares absurdist ideas than BLUE LEAVES, in which almost every cast member
displays chaotic tendencies, and his anti-war sentiments are obvious.<span style> </span>Inn this script Guare is out to explore
the darker side of the American Dream including its obsession with celebrity.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">The play is set in Artie
and Banana Shaughnessys Queens apartment on the 1965 day when Pope Paul VI
visited New York.<span style> </span>Theres a wife
and mother (Bananas) whose world is one of psychotic episodes; a husband and
zoo keeper (Artie) who perceives that his misconceived songs are works of art; Arties
mistress (Bunny), who uses her cooking skills and so-called job history to get
her attention; a son (Ronnie) who is AWOL and on a mission to gain world recognition
by blowing up the Pope; some nuns who want their heavenly reward; and, a
shocking ending. <span style> </span>Guare seems out
to prove that the world and its inhabitants are crazily obsessed.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">Of course, as is the
pattern of black comedy, bizarre overshadows logic.<span style> </span>Audience confusion runs rampant in trying to figure out what
outlandish action will follow whatever incident is now being carried out.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">The title?<span style> </span>Artie describes going to visit the
asylum to which Bananas is going to be admitted and seeing a tree with what
appeared to be blue leaves.<span style>
</span>Leaves, which were an illusion, like his life, as they turned out to be bluebirds
which flew away when he approached.<span style>
</span></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino">The play had a very
healthy off-Broadway run in 1971, was revived in 1986 and had another long
run.<span style> </span>That production starred the
likes of Swoosie Kurtz, Stockard Channing, Danny Aiello and Ben Stiller. <span style> </span>Another Broadway revival in 2011 starred
Ben Stiller, Edie Falco and Jennifer Jason Leigh.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Helvetica"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The Beck
production, under the direction of Russ Borski, does credit to Guares
script.<span style> </span>Juliette Regnier is
fascinating as the schizoid Bananas.<span style>
</span>She swings from mood to mood flawlessly.<span style> </span>Robert Ellis is quite good as her husband Artie, who is
caught between his fantasies of being a famous song writer, though he has no
talent for that task, while being frustrated but well equipped to be a zoos
animal caretaker.<span style> </span>Carla Petroski does
a good job of being totally New Yawk in accent and attitude.<span style> </span>Nicholas Chokan brings a crazy presence
as Ronnie, the obsessed son.<span style> </span>The
rest of the cast create their roles well.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Borskis busy
realistic set works nicely to add to the chaos.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:6pt"><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: THE HOUSE OF BLUE
LEAVES is an absurdist black comedy that asks, Is this the way to live?,
while exposing the craziness individuals possess that drives them to adulate
and desire to be celebrities and hero worshippers.<span style> </span>Though the production is good, this is not a play for
theatre-goers wanting realistic people in realistic situations. </span></i></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:6pt"><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES </span></i><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">is scheduled to run through<span style> </span>April 21 at Beck Center for the
Arts.<span style> </span>For tickets and information
call </span><span style>216-521-2540 or </span><a href="http://www.beckcenter.org/"><span style>http://www.beckcenter.org</span></a><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style> <br></span></span></p><p class="" style="margin-bottom:6pt">
<br><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style></span></span></p><p class="" style="margin-bottom:6pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"></span><br>
</span></span></p>
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