November 17 - 6:30 PM

Island Theatre at Your House

House of Blue Leaves by John Guare 

Host: Tracy Dickerson

Please telephone for reservation: 842-8150 

Bring hors d'oeuvres or dessert to share and whatever beverage you'd like to drink.

Play reading will begin promptly at 7 PM, with discussion following as time allows. 

The House of Blue Leaves by John Guare

John Guare (pronounced gwar)  practices a humor that is synonymous with lucidity, exploding genre and cliches, taking us to the core of human suffering.

Premiering on Broadway in 1971, “The House of Blue Leaves” has confused audiences ever since with its avant-garde mixture of dark comedy, brutal drama and political commentary.

Set in Queens in October of 1965, on the day Pope Paul VI <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_VI> visited New York City, the black comedy features nuns, a political bombing, a GI headed for  Vietnam, a zookeeper who dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a songwriter <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriter> , and his wife Bananas, a schizophrenic destined for the institution that provides the play's title.

A scorching portrait of the toxic impact of America's culture of fame on its less fortunate citizens.
The critics that praised The House of Blue Leaves appreciated Guare’s treatment of ideas. They also lauded the manner in which he depicted the dark underside of the American dream, especially his emphasis on the destructive nature of the media on people’s dreams and personal lives. Several critics noted the skillful manner in which Guare portrayed the quest for personal success as defined by a shallow value system.

The play ran for 337 performances and garnered several prestigious awards for Guare, including the Obie and New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play of 1971. Its 1986 Lincoln Center Theater revival won 4 Tony awards.

Guare's 1971 play still feels achingly contemporary.