SET DESIGNERRAY RECHT***

ensemble member

This entire season sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Florida Repertory Theatre is a fully professional non-profit LOA/LORT Theatre company on contract with the Actors’ Equity Association that proudly employs members of the national theatrical labor unions. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association. **Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. ***Member of United Scenic Artists.

The Fred & Jean Allegretti Foundation • Naomi Bloom & Ron Wallace • Dinah Bloomhall • Alexandra BremnerBruce & Janet Bunch • Gholi & Georgia Darehshori • Mary & Hugh Denison • Ellie Fox • David Fritz/Cruise Everything

Dr. & Mrs. Mark & Lynne Gorovoy • John Madden • Sue & Jack Rogers • Arthur Zupko

STARRINGensemble members

VIKI BOYLE* • RACHEL BURTTRAM* • MICHELLE DAMATO* • GREG LONGENHAGEN*CARRIE LUND* • JASON PARRISH* • BRENDAN POWERS*

andSAM BOSTIC • LEE FITZPATRICK* • TOM McVEY* • NATE RITSEMA

DIRECTED BY CHRIS CLAVELLI**ensemble member

LIGHTING DESIGNERTODD O. WREN***ensemble member

COSTUME DESIGNERALEXANDRIA VAZQUEZ

2 0 1 6 - 1 7 G R A N D S E A S O N S P O N S O R S

FLORIDA REPERTORY THEATRE

2 0 1 6 - 2 0 1 7 S E A S O NHISTORIC ARCADE THEATRE • FORT MYERS RIVER DISTRICT

ROBERT CACIOPPO, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

P R E S E N T S

ASST. STAGE MANAGERRACHAEL BECHTEL

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGERJANINE WOCHNA*ensemble member

THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

ASST. SOUND DESIGNERRHIAN FRANCHEBOIS

SOUND DESIGNERJOHN KISELICA

SPONSORED BY RAYMOND JAMES®

Artie Shaughnessy..............................................................................GREG LONGENHAGEN*†

Ronnie Shaughnessy...........................................................................................TOM McVEY*†

Bunny Flingus....................................................................................................CARRIE LUND*†

Bananas Shaughnessy.........................................................................RACHEL BURTTRAM*†

Corrinna Stroller........................................................................................LEE FITZPATRICK*†

Head Nun...............................................................................................................VIKI BOYLE*†

Second Nun..................................................................................................JASON PARRISH*†

Little Nun................................................................................................MICHELLE DAMATO*†

A Policeman........................................................................................................SAM BOSTIC*†

The White Man.................................................................................................NATE RITSEMA†

Billy Einhorn............................................................................................BRENDAN POWERS*†

TIMEOctober 4, 1965

PLACEA Cold Apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, New York City.

THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES will be performed with one 15-minute intermission.

The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.

Asst. Costume Designer: Alisha Lawrence • Wardrobe Supervisor: Brittany Staudacher Lighting/Sound Board Operator: Justin Beets

Understudies: Alexis Slocum, Sarah Katherine Zanotti • Fight Choreographer: Greg Longenhagen

The Actors & Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

JOHN GUARE has written such plays as The House of Blue Leaves (Tonys, Obie, Drama Critics Circle), Six Degrees of Separation (Olivier Award Best Play, NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play), Landscape of a Body, A Few Stout Individuals (both published by Grove Press), A Free Man of Color and Lydie Breeze, among others. He also wrote the screen adaptation of his play Six Degrees of Separation and the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Louis Malle’s Atlantic City. Mr. Guare won a Tony for his

libretto to the musical Two Gentlemen of Verona and was nominated for Tonys for his play Four Baboons Adoring the Sun and his libretto to Sweet Smell of Success. His adaptation of His Girl Friday premiered to great acclaim at London’s National Theatre. In 2003 he won the PEN/Laura Pels Master Dramatist Award; in 2005 the Obie for Sustained Excellence. He is a council member of the Dramatists Guild and co-editor of The Lincoln Center Theater Review.

CAST

*** *†Member of Florida Repertory Theatre’s Ensemble of Theatre Artists. See page 23 for the entire ensemble.

**

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

(in order of appearance)

VIKI BOYLE*† (Head Nun) is a 35-year veteran of New York and regional theatre, film, and TV. She is an ensemble member here at Florida Rep and last appeared in Over the River and Through the Woods, A Christmas Story, Vanya and Sonia and Masha

and Spike, Arsenic and Old Lace, Noises Off, and Neil Simons’ Rumors. Off-Broadway credits at the Roundabout, MCC, and American Globe theatres include her own work The Whole Truth, winner of the Samuel French Short Play Series, and Term Limit for which she won the top prizes for both acting and writing. She received two Carbonell Awards for The Little Foxes and Don’t Dress for Dinner at the former Caldwell Theatre in Boca Raton. Her movie and TV credits include The Wolf of Wall Street, The Leftovers, Person of Interest, and over 200 commercials, where her work has been recognized with the CLIO award. Besides contributing to the wonderful musical tribute A Dash of Rosemary, she and writing partner Doug Kampsen publish NYC Trivia Tours, a series of self-guided walking tours of New York City. She is overjoyed to be back at Florida Rep.

RACHEL BURTTRAM*† (Bananas Shaughnessy) has been a company member since 2002, and has performed in over 20 plays with Florida Rep. Additionally, she has played the roles of Company Manager, Front of House

Manager, Director of Audience Development, and Associate Director here at Florida Rep. Favorite roles at Florida Rep include: Best of Enemies, Split in Three, Clybourne Park, Miracle on South Division Street, August: Osage County, Trying, Doubt, Amy’s View (with Carol Lawrence). Other Regional Theatre credits: Geva Theatre Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Humana New Play Festival, Riverside Theatre, The Kitchen Theatre, Hippodrome Theatre, City Equity Theatre, Barnstormers Theatre, Gloucester Stage. NYC credits include: Actors Studio, Vital Theatre Company, NYC International Fringe Festival. TV & Film: Bloodline, Emma’s Fine, Burn Notice, World Traveler. National commercials. Rachel is a proud member of Actors’ Equity. She is married to actor Brendan Powers. www.rachelburttram.com

MICHELLE DAMATO*† (Little Nun) is returning for her thirteenth show with Florida Rep. Audiences will remember her from her roles in The Dingdong, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, and Miracle on South Division Street, for which she won

Best Featured Actress in a Play from BroadwayWorld.com Fort Myers/Naples, as well as Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Heart Song, Bedroom Farce, Rumors, Sylvia, Rabbit Hole, Almost, Maine, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and Dancing at Lughnasa. She is a graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC and came to Florida by way of Louisville, KY, where she was a company member with Stage One. Some of her favorite roles include Oliver Twist off-Broadway at the Promenade Theatre and the voice of Shawna in MTV’s Daria: Is It College Yet? As a voice-over artist Michelle has done over fifty commercials and audio books. She was a founding member of the Circle Players and the Daughters of Monty, both New York City-based improv companies. Michelle is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

LEE FITZPATRICK* (Corrinna Stroller) is absolutely delighted to debut with Florida Rep. Having toured nationally and acted as a member of American Shakespeare Center’s resident company, her favorite roles include Kate in She Stoops

to Conquer, Rosalind in As You Like It, G.L.O.R.I.A. in Return to the Forbidden Planet, Cressida in Troilus & Cressida, and Lady Capulet in Romeo & Juliet. Lee loves traveling cross-country and performing regionally, from Shakespeare in the San Juans (Island Stage) to Wilde in Saint Pete (American Stage). When it’s not Shakespeare, it’s sometimes Shanley – Italian American Reconciliation with Actors Theatre Louisville and B Street Theatre, Sacramento. Recent TV/radio: Good Morning America, Credit Karma, Dietz & Watson, and The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Other favorites include: Theatre Bay Area Outstanding Ensemble nomination (Marin Shakespeare Company’s Don Quixote); Quark Victory (Williamstown Theatre Festival/MASS MoCA); Flight and Gravity (Connelly Theater NYC & Pacific Performance Project/p3east); Don’t Dress for Dinner (Beef & Boards); Anniversary (Seattle International Film Festival official selection); Morty’s Backup Singer (The Non-Permanent Parliament), and Chris, the ethically befuddled first-year associate (CLE series regular). MFA, University of Washington School of Drama. Next up: Norah in Wrong for Each Other at The Public Theatre.

GREG LONGENHAGEN*† (Artie Shaughnessy) is thrilled to be back on stage at Florida Repertory Theatre where, as an ensemble member, he’s appeared in numerous shows over Florida Rep’s 19 remarkable seasons. Last seen by Florida Rep

audiences in Twelve Angry Men, his other credits

CREATIVE TEAM

include performances at The Charlotte Repertory Theatre, Riverside Theatre, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, Florida Stage, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Quantum Theatre, Pirate Playhouse, Trilogy Theatre, Pennsylvania Stage Company, Inner Space Theatre, The Mountain Playhouse, Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, The Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, Philadelphia Shakespeare, The Pantages Theatre, The Great American Children’s Theatre, Theatre at Hartwood, The Fulton Theatre, Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Opera Delaware, St Vincent Theatre, Theatre Row Theatre, and Stage Right. Greg appeared Off-Broadway as Miles in the acclaimed production of Driving Miles for Young Playwrights Inc. and his Film & Television credits include Darrow with Kevin Spacey, Milk Money, Royal Faceoff, and As the World Turns. Greg is an Assistant Professor at FGCU. He holds an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and certified S.A.F.D. at Carnegie Mellon University. Big Hugs and much love to his family, but especially Liz, Liza Jayne, and Jack.

CARRIE LUND*† (Bunny Flingus) is Co-founder, an ensemble member, and Associate Producer of Florida Rep, and has acted in over 90 productions in Southwest Florida. In 2012, she was named Best Actress of the Year and named one

of the “Power Women of the Year” by Florida Weekly. She produced and acted on Sanibel Island from 1984-1998 at the Pirate Playhouse and on Captiva Island with Carrie Lund Presents. She taught theatre at Florida Gulf Coast University in its early years, produced theatre companies in her hometown of Erie, PA and New York City, and performed in regional theatres in NY, VT and NC, as well as the Three River Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Playhouse, and American Ibsen Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1987, the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce awarded her the Distinguished Citizen Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Carrie has been in all eight Florida Rep shows reviewed by The Wall Street Journal: The Cocktail Hour, One Slight Hitch, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Little Foxes, God of Carnage, Sylvia, You Can’t Take It with You, and Dancing at Lughnasa. Other selected credits include Florida Rep’s Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End, Becky’s New Car, Dividing the Estate, Tribes, Heart Song, Clybourne Park, Rumors (2002, 2011), August: Osage County, Noises Off (1998, 2010), The Last Romance, Enchanted April, Rabbit Hole, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, All My Sons, and Private Lives. Married to Robert Cacioppo, she enjoys the accomplishments of their best productions: Matt, graduate of UCF and Julia, graduate of FSU.

TOM McVEY* (Ronnie Shaughnessy) is a NYC-based actor living on the Upper West Side. Recent theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Wolfbane Productions in Virginia and Awesome 80s Prom Off-Broadway. He has guest

starred in Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Tom is a graduate of Wagner College and is currently studying improv at UCB.

JASON PARRISH*† (Second Nun) is now in his twelfth season with Florida Rep as an Ensemble Member and the company’s Associate Director. His thirty appearances with the company include Over the River and Through the

Woods, The Dingdong, Twelve Angry Men, Around the World in 80 Days, Clybourne Park, 2014’s nationally-acclaimed production of Arsenic and Old Lace, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and six seasons in The Santaland Diaries. His directing credits with Florida Rep include A Christmas Story, The Fantasticks, and Tru, as well as Miss Nelson is Missing, Journey to Oz, Schoolhouse Rock Live, How I Became a Pirate, The New Kid, and The Mischief Makers for Florida Rep’s Theatre for Young Audiences series. His work with other theatres as an actor and director includes Actors’ Playhouse (Miami), Riverside Theatre (Vero Beach), Theatre by the Sea and Ocean State Theatre Company (Rhode Island), and guest appearances with the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concert Series at Lincoln Center. Jason is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

BRENDAN POWERS*† (Billy Einhorn) Select Florida Rep credits over the past eight seasons include The Mousetrap, The Cocktail Hour, A Christmas Story, The Unexpected Guest, Dividing the Estate, Around the World in 80 Days, The

Fantasticks, Doubt, Opus, Boeing-Boeing, and The Glass Menagerie. He is married to fellow Florida Rep ensemble member Rachel Burttram and also serves as a Development Associate. Other credits include the Tony Award-winning play, Art, and The Big Knife, both with Alec Baldwin, the Noel Coward revue, Oh, Coward! at Off-Broadway’s Irish Repertory Theatre, God of Carnage, August: Osage County, Our Town, Arsenic and Old Lace, and numerous others. TV work includes FBI Agent Rick Cranston on Graceland (USA Network) and David Weller in the Netflix original series, Bloodline, starring Sissy Spacek. He can also

CREATIVE TEAM

CREATIVE TEAMbe seen driving the big blue Cadillac in a series of national commercials for Alabama Road Trips. His cartoon captions have been winners for various contests including The New Yorker, Hartford Courant, Denver Post, Moment Magazine, Clinical Psychology, Inside Higher Ed, and the Greensboro News-Record.

SAM BOSTIC (A Policeman) is a recent graduate from Shenandoah University where he earned his BFA in Acting. Sam is originally from Fort Myers and is elated to be back at Florida Rep after growing up through the education camps. Favorite

roles include Malcolm in Macbeth, Lucas in The Addams Family, Hero in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Pippin in Pippin. In his free time, Sam enjoys singing, cooking, and bowling!

NATE RITSEMA (The White Man) is an acting intern here at Florida Rep. Originally from Leesburg, VA, Nate graduated from Christopher Newport University where he majored in Theatre, with a concentration in acting, and a minor in dance.

Favorite roles include Macbeth, Pericles, and Peter Shaw in Silent Sky. He is looking forward to making great friends who love what he loves, and growing by learning from them. He’s always looking to incorporate new ideas and methods into his process, and Florida Rep appears to be a great place for that.

CHRIS CLAVELLI**† (Director) is the Associate Artistic Director here at Florida Repertory Theatre where he has directed and performed in more than 40 productions. He was honored with an Alan Schneider Directing Award nomination through Theatre Communications Group. He was a founding member and co-artistic director of the Neighborhood Theatre for Kids in Brooklyn. Directing credits: Florida Rep: The Cocktail Hour, One Slight Hitch, Tribes, The Santaland Diaries (since 2010), Collected Stories, Educating Rita, Lend Me a Tenor, Time Stands Still, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Black Tie, Sideman, Trying, Rounding Third, Alone Together, The Foreigner, The Glass Menagerie, and The Lady with All the Answers; Other directing credits: The Riverside Theatre, The Virginia Stage Company: Off Square Theatre: The New York Fringe Festival, The Chenango River Theatre, Southwest Florida Symphony, Symphony Space, York Theatre, 78th Street Theatre, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Neighborhood Theatre for Kids, the famed Actors Studio, and 16 productions for the Depot Theatre. As an actor he has worked here at Florida Rep in 15 productions and all over the country. In 2012 he was named Florida Weekly’s Best Actor of the Year and has been the recipient of both

the Barrymore Award (Philadelphia) and the South Florida Carbonell for best actor. His one-man play, A Little More Than You Wanted to Spend, recently ran at The Drilling Company in New York City. He currently serves in the Classical Acting Division of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. For Jess Ilias.

RACHAEL BECHTEL (Asst. Stage Manager) is a recent graduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she received her BFA in Technical Theatre. Her favorite collegiate Stage Management credits include She Kills Monsters, The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Bungler. Rachael is thrilled to have moved to Fort Myers to be a part of Florida Repertory’s 19th season as a stage management intern! Recent productions as an assistant stage manager include Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End and Best of Enemies. She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support.

RHIAN FRANCHEBOIS (Asst. Sound Designer) is a first-time intern at Florida Repertory Theatre. She recently graduated from Flagler College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts. This is her first job after college, and she hopes she pleases your ears.

JOHN KISELICA (Sound Designer) is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in lighting and sound design. He is the Resident Sound and Lighting Designer for Endstation Theatre Company in Central VA and acts as the Lighting and Sound Supervisor for year round consultation and project specific work. He has worked on a national tour, Buddy: the Buddy Holly Musical, as the master electrician after a contract with Royal Caribbean International as a stage technician. Commercial theatrical work includes installing Prodigy Hoists, an automated rigging system from Electronic Theatre Controls. John continues to freelance in addition to his seasonal position with Florida Rep in the professional, academic, and community theatre circles.

RAY RECHT***† (Set Designer) is delighted to be back at Florida Rep, where as an ensemble member, his designs include The Cocktail Hour, Dancing at Lughnasa, Doubt, and others. Broadway designs include The Flowering Peach, Trick, Slab Boys, The Babe, several national tours, and over 20 Off-Broadway productions, such as Collected Stories, Marc Salem’s Mind Games, Mrs. Klein and sets for the Drama Desk Awards Shows. He has designed over 200 shows for many regional theaters, such as Asolo Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Florida Stage Co., Center Stage, and George Street Theatre. Recently he designed the American premier of Sinners, directed by Brian Cox for the Mirror Theatre Co. He has designed several feature films and was an art director or assistant art director on many others. He has worked extensively in television, including NBC, Fox, PBS, ABC, over 150 commercials, and

David S. Howard, Jason Parrish, Sara Morsey

CREATIVE TEAM

T I C K E T S

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American Actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of theatre as

an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.

FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL THEATRES ASSOCIATION (FPTA) is a statewide organization of professional theatre companies and theatre professionals

interested in the development and promotion of professional theatre throughout Florida. Florida Repertory Theatre is a proud FPTA member theatre.

THE NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK is the country’s alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions

the development, production, and continued life of new plays. The NNPN strives to pioneer, implement, and disseminate ideas and programs that revolutionize the way theaters collaborate to support new plays and playwrights. Florida Repertory Theatre is proud to be an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.

Florida Repertory Theatre is a member of THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP (TCG), the national organization for the American Theatre.

SPECIAL THANKS: Asolo Repertory TheatreLake Howell High School

Costume Shop at Akron UniversityDiana Waldier

Costume Shop at Naples Players

many commercial parodies for Saturday Night Live. Internationally, he designed for the Wien Staatsoper Ballet, the Stratford Festival, Ontario, and the Manitoba Theatre Centre. He is a professor of Theatre at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City and a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829, IATSE.

ALEXANDRIA VAZQUEZ (Costume Designer) was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Costume Design from Rollins College and a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design & Technology from West Virginia University. She has designed costumes and worked on productions at both educational institutions and professional theatres including the Ohio Light Opera, Cincinnati Opera, The Lexington Children Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and Hanger Theatre. Alexandria is thrilled to be joining the Rep as the Costume Shop Manager and Resident Costume Designer for the 2016-2017 season, her third season with the company. She wants to thank her famillia for their continuous support and for being her own personal cheerleaders. www.alexandriavazquezcostumedesign.com

JANINE WOCHNA*† (Production Stage Manager) is delighted to return to Florida Rep where she is an ensemble member having previously stage managed Over the River and Through the Woods, The Cocktail Hour, The Unexpected Guest, Tribes, Around the World in 80 Days, Collected Stories, Time Stands Still, Talley’s Folly, and many others over 11 seasons. Regional theatre credits include: Brother Wolf, Underneath the Lintel, and Abundance at Triad Stage, four seasons as Resident Stage Manager at the Geva Theatre, and 14 seasons at the Cleveland Play House. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

TODD O. WREN***† (Lighting Designer) is delighted to participate in Florida Rep’s continued growth as an ensemble member. A special thanks goes to you, the audience, for your support. Todd’s theatrical credits include: Good Speed Musicals, Cleveland Playhouse, People’s Light and Opera Company, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Center, Merrimack Repertory, Barter Theatre, Tennessee Repertory, John F. Kennedy Center, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Charlotte Repertory, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Town and Gown Theatre, Casa Manana, and Flat Rock Playhouse. Todd is a member of United Scenic Artists, New York Local #829.

THE DAY THE POPE CAME TO NEW YORKOctober 4, 1965: Pope Paul VI Visits New York City As he stepped down from his plane at Kennedy International Airport, the Italian-born pontiff stepped before the microphones, “Greetings to you, America. The first pope to set foot upon your land blesses you with all his heart.”

In the course of the day, the pope traveled to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

There, speaking from notes in lightly accented English that underscored his Italian upbringing, as well as at times in Latin, he bestowed his apostolic blessing on New York’s cardinal, Francis Spellman.

After a brief visit to Spellman’s nearby residence, the pope met

with President Lyndon B. Johnson at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. During their 50-minute meeting, the two men discussed poverty, race relations and the Vietnam War.

After that, he addressed the U.N. General Assembly, where he stressed the need to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts in a danger-ridden nuclear age. “No more war! Never again war! Peace, it is peace that must guide the destinies of peoples and of all mankind.”

He also invoked the spirit of the slain president by remarking, “Listen to the words of the great departed John Kennedy: ‘Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.’”

After sunset, nearly 100,000 people shivered and prayed inside Yankee Stadium as the pope celebrated a nighttime “Mass of Peace” from an altar erected behind second base.

He then toured the Vatican Pavilion at The World’s Fair and said a silent prayer as he gazed upon Michelangelo’s Pieta, on loan from St. Peter’s Basilica, in a darkened gallery.

“God bless America, God bless you all!” said the pope in his parting benediction. The memories of Pope Paul’s visit, however, endure a half-century later.

THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES ON & OFF-BROADWAY

SOURCES HISTORY.com • POLITICO.com

DRAMATURGICAL NOTES

The House of Blue Leaves opened on February 10, 1971 Off-Broadway and ran for 337 performances. Directed by Mel Shapiro, the cast included Frank Converse, Harold Gould, Katherine Helmond, William Atherton, and Anne Meara—mother of actor, Ben Stiller.

A revival directed by Jerry Zaks was staged Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center, opening on March 19, 1986 and transferred to Broadway April 29, 1986 and ran for 398 performances. The cast included Swoosie Kurtz (Bananas), John Mahoney (Artie), Stockard Channing (Bunny), Danny Aiello (Billy), and Ben Stiller (Ronnie) in his stage debut.

That production won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival. It was also nominated

for the Tony Award for Best Play.

A 2011 Broadway revival was staged by David Cromer at the Walter Kerr Theatre. This time starring Ben Stiller as Artie, Edie Falco as Bananas and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Bunny, the production ran for a limited 16-week engagement.

John Mahoney, Swoozie Kurtz, and Ben Stiller in 1986

Ben Stiller in 2011

Anne Meara

Pope Paul VI with Lyndon Johnson