Wednesday, November 12, 1997
‘Blue Leaves’ shows both sides of insanity
THEATER West Coast Ensemble depicts the
comedy in tragic situation
By Sam Toussi
Daily Bruin Contributor
Insanity is a tricky business.
On one hand, it has potential for a great deal of humor. Insane
people, whether clinical or not, provide us with the majority of
our laughs; they are eccentric and unusual. They take the gray out
of a life of gloom.
On the other hand, anyone who has a person close to them
committed to a mental institution cannot really see the humor in
insanity. It’s a tragedy to them and should be played that way.
John Guare’s "House of Blue Leaves" does what few plays can do:
It combines the humor of eccentricity and insanity with the pain
and suffering associated with it.
The West Coast Ensemble kicked off its production of "House of
Blue Leaves" Nov. 7, and the production stays true to Guare’s
vision.
The play bursts with energy. The actors play this hyperkinetic
piece of dynamite that is enjoyably exhausting to watch to
perfection.
The play, which takes place during the pope’s visit to New York
in 1965, revolves around Artie Shaughnessy (Steven Einspahr), a
struggling song writer whose songs are downright atrocious. His
wife, Bananas (Darlene Young), is a schizophrenic who needs
constant attention. She acts like animals and has little
comprehension of what occurs around her.
Her sickness drives Artie into the arms of another woman, Bunny
Flingus (Lori Harmon), who is, to say it politely, obnoxious. Bunny
convinces Artie that his songs belong in the movies and his good
friend, Billy Einhorn (Jon Stafford), who is the world’s greatest
filmmaker, can help him.
Einspahr draws his audience in immediately with the pathos he
conveys. His songs are so bad, the audience can’t help but laugh,
but Einspahr seems to actually believe his songs are gold. Despite
the fact that his character is cheating on his wife, Einspahr stays
in the audience’s heart. He is very expressive on stage, and his
relationship with Bunny is clearly desperate as he still harbors
love for his wife.
Artie can’t be a fun character to play. He has very few funny
lines and ends up playing "straight-man" to the other screw balls
in the play. The play is squarely on his shoulders but Einspahr
allows his co-stars to get the spotlight with his genuine energy.
He even manages to squeeze out what little humor his role
entails.
Harmon is over-the-top as Bunny, but then so is her character.
The audience knows she is a classic bitch and Harmon has a ball
being that bitch. Harmon is afraid to look stupid or petty and the
comedy just bursts forth from her kinetic performance.
Guare’s dialogue is very underhanded. He slips in humor; he
doesn’t set it up. Harmon varies the rhythm of her performance very
well and allows the audience to catch the quick humor in the
dialogue.
Yet in spite of the play’s over all humor, Young plays Bananas
without a hint of comedy. Instead, she concentrates on the illness
of her character and evokes sympathy from her audience. This is not
to say she downplays the humor, but she allows the comedy to simmer
and rise from her illness.
The rest of the cast are like insane pool balls. They bounce off
each other and allow their co-stars to have some outstanding
moments. It is truly an ensemble cast.
Most actors play Billy as a slime ball with touches of good, but
Stafford plays Billy as a nice guy. Stafford has a very charming
face and grin that could melt steel.
When he sees how ill Bananas has gotten, the audience sees the
compassion in Billy. His performance makes the climax all the more
powerful as it makes the inevitable conclusion of Artie’s dream
seem even more pathetic.
Jessica Kubzansky’s direction is contained. She obviously spent
time working on the chemistry between her actors. However, the
physical comedy is too ambitious because the set is too small to
harbor the slapstick she envisioned.
The West Coast Ensemble has built a reputation for doing quality
work, and "The House of Blue Leaves" is no exception. The cast
works well and the play is a community effort, with no weak link in
the bunch.
THEATER: "The House of Blue Leaves" plays at the West Coast
Ensemble through Dec. 14. Tickets are $20. For information, call
213-525-0022.
West Coast Ensemble
Part of the cast of "House of Blue Leaves."