Characters Discussed
Artie Shaughnessy
Artie Shaughnessy, a zookeeper and would-be songwriter. Obsessed by a need to be famous, forty-five-year-old Artie fears that it may be too late for him. He looks to Bunny for the support Bananas is too sick to give, but he still has a soft spot for his wife. The play focuses on his attempts to find success, first by having his music blessed by the pope, then by kowtowing to Hollywood celebrities Corrinna Stroller and Billy Einhorn.
Bananas Shaughnessy
Bananas Shaughnessy, Artie’s wife, once a fun-loving woman. She has since suffered a nervous breakdown. She is forty-four years old and appears in the play in a nightgown she has worn for the past six months; her eyes are red from crying. Frightened of Artie’s threats to send her to a rest home, she does her best to prove that she is still competent and that Artie is wrong to leave her.
Ronnie Shaughnessy
Ronnie Shaughnessy, the eighteen-year-old son of Artie and Bananas. He wears a brushcut and large glasses. At the time of the play, Ronnie is absent without leave from the Army. Another victim of Artie’s thirst for fame, Ronnie once acted like an idiot in front of Hollywood director Billy Einhorn, who was looking for a boy Ronnie’s age to play Huck Finn. Although he sneaks into Artie’s apartment in the opening scene, he disappears and does not say anything or enter into the plot until he appears with a bomb intended to kill the pope. When he is discovered by nuns, he is wearing his old altar boy robes.
Bunny Flingus
Bunny Flingus, the Shaughnessys’ neighbor and Artie’s mistress. Bunny, a plump thirty-nine-year-old gold digger, wants to ride Artie’s coattails to fame. It is her idea to have Artie’s music blessed by the pope and to “audition” for Corrinna Stroller. Bunny is a wonderful cook but refuses to cook for Artie until they are married. When it is clear that Artie will not succeed as a songwriter, Bunny leaves him for successful filmmaker Billy Einhorn.
Billy Einhorn
Billy Einhorn, a famous Hollywood director. A lifelong friend exactly Artie’s age (forty-five), Billy represents all the fame and fortune Artie wants. Although he does not appear in the first act, he is the main topic of conversation, and the high point of the act is Artie’s phone call to Billy’s home in California. Billy arrives in response to Corrinna’s death. Billy’s maudlin sentimentalizing is clearly bogus, and his grief over Corrinna disappears as soon as he sees Bunny and steals her from Artie.
Corrinna Stroller
Corrinna Stroller, a twenty-two-year-old movie starlet. She starred in Billy’s film Warmonger but lost her hearing when a prop mine exploded during the filming. Artie sees her as his ticket to fame and plays his songs for her, but she does not hear them. Ronnie’s bomb, intended for the pope, kills Corrinna.
Characters
Billy Einhorn
Billy is Artie's best friend from childhood and has known Bananas for many
years, even giving her the nickname. Currently, he is a renowned Hollywood film
director involved romantically with Corrinna. At Bunny's insistence, Artie
seeks Billy's help to rejuvenate his career as a movie songwriter, but the
attempt fails. Following Corrinna's death, Billy persuades Bunny to move to
Australia, leaving Artie alone with Bananas.
Bunny Flingus
Bunny, Artie's girlfriend and neighbor from downstairs, is thirty-nine and an excellent cook who supports Artie's musical dreams. She plans to marry Artie and relocate to California once Bananas is out of the picture. Bunny tries...
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to manage Artie's life and often shows her jealousy toward Bananas. However, when Billy offers an opportunity to move to Australia, she leaves Artie for a more thrilling adventure.
Little Nun
The Little Nun is one of three nuns stranded on the roof of Artie's building
after the Pope's visit. Yet to take her final vows, she isn't particularly
passionate about her religious path. After an explosion kills two of the nuns,
she decides not to return to the convent. Eventually, Billy hires her to live
in Bunny's apartment and care for Bananas.
Artie Shaughnessy
Artie Shaughnessy is the central character in The House of Blue Leaves.
His life is at a crossroads due to various frustrations. His marriage to
Bananas is hollow, as her mental illness leaves him feeling more like a
caregiver than a husband. He has a girlfriend, Bunny, who is manipulative and
demanding.
Artie works at a New York zoo tending to animals but harbors dreams of success as a songwriter and singer, though he hasn't made any progress toward this goal. He is also worried about his son, Ronnie, who is serving in the Army. Like Bananas, Ronnie struggles with severe mental health issues and harbors violent, paranoid fantasies. By the play's end, Artie feels so trapped and desperate that he takes Bananas' life.
Bananas Shaughnessy
Bananas, Artie's wife, has long been plagued by mental illness and hasn't left
their apartment in several months. She dreads the idea of being committed to a
mental institution and receiving treatment. Despite her illness, she
occasionally offers clear and insightful observations during the play. Artie
kills her at the play's conclusion.
Ronnie Shaughnessy
Ronnie is the teenage son of Bananas and Artie. Although he is in the army, he
has gone AWOL to return home. For most of the play, his parents are unaware of
his presence in their apartment.
Ronnie, struggling with severe mental health issues, constructs a bomb with the intent to harm the Pope. He nearly gets the chance to see the Pope at Yankee Stadium but ends up detonating the bomb, tragically killing two nuns and Corrinna Stroller. Ronnie is taken into custody, but Billy manages to secure his release. Instead of serving time in jail, Ronnie will spend two weeks in the brig before being assigned to duty in Italy.
Corrinna Stroller
Corrinna, a renowned actress and Billy's girlfriend, partially lost her hearing
due to an on-set accident and hasn't worked since. She is known for her
kindness and gentle nature.
