
A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
The House of Blue Leaves
Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 6w, 4m
"Enchantingly zany and original farce." - The New York Times
Image: Joan Marcus
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Cast Size
6w, 4m
Accolades
- Winner! 1971 Critics Award for Best Play
Winner! Obie Award for Best American Play
Nominee! 1986 Tony® Award Best Revival of a Play
Details
Summary
Artie Shaugnessy is a songwriter with visions of glory. Toiling by day as a zookeeper, he suffers in seedy lounges by night, plying his wares at piano bars in Queens, New York, where he lives with his wife, Bananas, much to the chagrin of Artie’s downstairs mistress, Bunny Flingus, who’ll sleep with him anytime but refuses to cook until they are married. On the day the Pope is making his first visit to the city, Artie’s son Ronny goes AWOL from Fort Dix, stowing a homemade bomb intended to blow up the Pope in Yankee Stadium. Also arriving are Artie’s old school chum, now a successful Hollywood producer, Billy Einhorn, with starlet girlfriend in tow, who holds the key to Artie’s dreams of getting out of Queens and away from the life he so despises. But like many dreams, this promise of glory evaporates amid the chaos of ordinary lives.
- Time Period 1960s
Media
"A brilliant play...beautifully fashioned...Wacky and sometimes sad
[with]... combined hilarity, poignancy, outrageous stage aside and
tragedy." - The New York Daily News
"Enchantingly zany and original farce." - The New York Times
Photos
Image: Joan Marcus
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.