By Kimberly Harper, WPRO Arts and Entertainment Contributor
It’s hard to empathize much with any character in “The House of Blue Leaves” on stage now at the Gamm Theatre. Artie Shaughnessy (Tom Gleadow) is an aging aspiring songwriter who is exhausted by the toll his schizophrenic wife, the cruelly nicknamed Bananas (Jeanine Kane), has taken on him.
Artie wants desperately to leave New York with his new girlfriend, Bunny (Rachel Delude), but is constantly held back – by his inability to write a hit song, by his wife’s illness, by his son’s own mental instability. Oh yeah, and the Pope is coming to town and Artie’s apartment is eventually overrun by three nuns, a deaf starlet and, finally, Billy (Steven Liebhauser), Artie’s childhood friend turned movie director, who is seen in turn by every character as their potential savior. And they’re all going to make you wonder who the crazy one truly is.
Director Fred Sullivan Jr. has assembled a fantastic cast who interact with each other and break the fourth wall seamlessly, allowing the audience to enjoy the humor but refusing to let them disengage when things inevitably take a turn.
Gleadow gives an inspired performance as Artie, the songwriter whose ticket to stardom seems to rest squarely with Billy, Bunny and his hopeful-hit, the jazzy “Where’s the Devil in Evelyn?” Any love he once felt for his wife is essentially gone, yet he struggles with actually committing her to a mental institution, despite her constant desire to skip her meds and act like a dog.
Gleadow and Kane play off each other well, his frustration seeming well worn and familiar. Her subtle expressions alternately make you laugh – her one line jabs are some of the best in the show – and break your heart. Bananas knows her husband is sick of her, his girlfriend is ready to take her place, and her son is all but gone from her life. She knows she is unwell and unsafe, yet clings to the idea of remaining at home, pleading with Billy to intercede on her behalf.
The show’s comic relief largely rests on the shoulders of Dulude, who delivers Bunny’s lines with expert timing. Bunny has held a seemingly endless array of jobs which renders her an expert on whatever the topic of conversation happens to be, and, cruel as she can be, seems just as trapped by her surroundings as Bananas.
From the fully functional set to the costumes and simple but effective lighting, the show is visually interesting without detracting from the story. If you are unfamiliar with the plot, the ending may well surprise you. Though the title refers back to the sanitarium Artie has picked out for Bananas, it becomes clear in short order the real asylum is that New York City apartment. It’s well worth the trip to see this one before it closes on April 5.
“House of Blue Leaves” runs now through April 5 at the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre in Pawtucket. For showtimes and tickets, visit gammtheatre.org or call 401-723-4266.
