The House of Blue Leaves (Masterplots II: Drama)
At a glance:
- Author: John Guare
- First Published: 1971
- Type of Work: Absurdist comedy
- Time of Work: October 4, 1965
- Setting: Sunnyside, a district of Queens, New York City
- Principal Characters: Artie Shaughnessy, Bananas Shaughnessy, Ronnie, Bunny Flingus, Billy Einhorn, Corrinna Stroller
- Genres: Drama, Absurdist literature, Comedy
- Subjects: 1960’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Murder or homicide, New York City, Marriage, Religion, Mental illness, Adultery, Fame, Success or failure, Songs or songwriters
- Locales: Queens, NY
The Play
The House of Blue Leaves opens with a brief prologue in which Artie Shaughnessy plays piano and sings his songs at the El Dorado Bar and Grill, talking to the theater audience as if they were the bar’s patrons. Act 1 opens in Artie’s shabby apartment in Sunnyside, Queens. As Artie snores on the couch, mumbling “Pope Ronnie,” his son Ronnie appears at the barred window, dressed in army fatigues. Ronnie reaches for keys in his father’s discarded pants, unlocks a security gate, enters the apartment, and raids the refrigerator. The doorbell rings, sending...
[The entire page is 2872 words long]
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