New Guelph Little Theatre production showcases well-rounded cast
The Guelph Little Theatre’s latest production is a rendition of John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves, directed by Trevor Smith Diggins. It is a dark comedy surrounding a pivotal day in the life of Artie Shaughnessy, an aspiring songwriter who, in his own words, is “too old to be young talent.”
Among the chaos and excitement surrounding the historic visit of the Pope to New York City in 1965, the conflict between Artie’s Hollywood dreams and his demanding middle-class family life finally comes to a chaotic climax. After all, with the Pope in town, anyone’s prayers could be answered. Unfortunately for Artie and some of his fellow characters, most prayers won’t be.
Carlo Adamo is both funny and heart-wrenching in his role as Artie. Jen Barson matches his talent by pulling off a deeply gripping performance as Artie’s wife, Bananas, a woman soon to be carted off to the psych ward. Her dark monologues are balanced by moments of light-hearted playfulness that make her empathetic.
These central performances are complemented by a strong supporting cast. Lisa MacNeil takes on the role of Artie’s boisterous mistress, Bunny; Marc Harwood plays Artie’s fanatical son; and Philip Sullivan is Billy Einhorn, Artie’s successful friend in showbiz. Billy’s actress girlfriend is played by Allison Humeniuk. Rosalind Slater, Liz Poulton, and Karson Theriault make up a group of nuns, who are intent on seeing the pope but find themselves in Artie’s apartment instead.
The House of Blue Leaves runs until June 9th at the Guelph Little Theatre.
Correction: an earlier version of this article incorrectly listed the year of the play’s setting as 1995 and listed the wrong actor in the role of Billy Einhorn.