The House of Blue Leaves

L.A. Theatre Works' presentation of Guare's Obie Award-winning comedy is first-rate. It takes place in the early 1960s in New York City on the day the pope is coming to town. The characters and the action run the gamut from desperate nuns, a political bombing, a GI headed for Vietnam, and a woman who strikes a bargain between sex and great cooking to a zookeeper who dreams of making it big as a songwriter and his schizophrenic wife, who is destined for an institution. Sharon Gless, Jessica Walter, and Ron Leibman deliver strong portraits of flawed characters--some funny, some despondent, some frustrated, and some hopeful. Their vocal characterizations--full of vitality--provide bittersweet glimpses into the lives of these unfulfilled characters. M.R.E. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 1, 2008
This play by Guare ("Six Degrees of Separation") has, since its 1971 off-Broadway premiere, won an Obie Award, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and four Tony Awards. Set in 1975, it takes a humorous yet endearing look at issues of politics, religion, relationships, and mental illness. Actor Ron Leibman injects personality into the character of misguided Artie Shaughnessy, but it's actor Sharon Gless's tender, sincere, and evocative performance of Bananas that really steals the show. Another notch in the belt of L.A. Theatre Works, which continues with its track record of thoroughly excellent audio plays. [Audio clip available through www.latw.org; originally produced by L.A. Theatre Works on audiocassette in 1997 and since out of print.Ed.]Lance Eaton, Somerville, MA

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