My appreciation for all things theatre runs deep. While I openly gush on about my love of musicals, sometimes I yearn for a play. Well, actually I'm always up for a play. A piece of thoughtful, well crafted playwriting that draws me in fulfills a creative space in my soul that a musical, television show, or summer blockbuster cannot. The Edge Theatre Company's The House of Blue Leaves satisfied my creative hunger.
Fans of live theatre in Colorado should thank their lucky stars for the Edge Theatre. While I am consistently impressed with their level of acting and directing talent, what impresses me the most are the plays they bring to their stage. Upcoming shows include the Denver and regional premiere of Rajiv Joseph's inspired The Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo, followed by the Tennessee Williams' classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. They finish up their current season with Gifted, which is brand spanking new, and the winner of the 2012 On The Edge Festival of New Plays. Artistic Director Rick Yaconis, and everyone at The Edge have earned my enthusiastic applause for serving up plays that have yet to be seen, and classics that deserve to be seen by new generations of theatre goers.John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves won the 1971 Drama Critics Circle award and the Obie Award for Best American Play. It is a black comedy that every patron of live theatre should see. Weaving intermittent dramatic moments with over the top presentational farce, characters breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging the audience's presence, and a story line that includes guest appearances from a trio of nuns in full habit, and Hollywood big shots, Blue Leaves teeters on the brink of schizophrenic chaos. In this production director Scott Bellot somehow guides these desperate elements together to a purposeful and poignant end.
The House of Blue Leaves takes place on the day the Pope is visiting New York City. The action is set in the Queens apartment of Artie Shaugnessy, a zookeeper and aspiring (and delusional) songwriter. He has big dreams, including getting hitched with his over-the-top neighbor/ mistress, Bunny, who is working her female wiles to within an inch of her life. But Artie is still married, and his wife, Bananas is a woman who is mentally broken to a point of desperate hopelessness. Artie also has a son, Ronnie, an army soldier who is hell bent on killing the Pope. Now part of the fun of Blue Leaves is the metaphorical roller coaster ride that the audience takes. It is amusing and witty, and it is painful and cruel. There are plot twists and character cameos that are best left not described. But that is what makes this play worth seeing.
Blue Leaves has the kind of characters that have actors chomping at the bit to play. Tom Auclair has the daunting task of playing Artie. Auclair has the ability to be a lovable jerk. That is an enviable skill for any actor to possess. (Plus anyone who has the chutzpah to sit down at a piano and atonally knock out a few lounge songs, throwing a playful glance at the audience, is a hero in my book.)
Bunny is played by Kelly Uhlenhopp, and she is a forced to be reckoned with. She gives Bunny a powerful presence, and elevates the part to a new level. From the moment she walks onto the stage, Uhlenhopp grabs the audience's focus with dogged determination.
The Edge Theatre continues to impress. I was delighted to check out their new theatre location. But if "the plays the thing," it's the productions that The Edge is offering that makes this company a gem.
