The House of Blue Leaves is a 1987 television play adapted from the John Guare play of the same title.
Contents
Summary
The telefilm is set in Sunnyside, Queens in 1965, the day of Pope Paul VI's visit to New York City. The black comedy focuses on Artie Shaughnessy, a zookeeper who dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a songwriter, and his wife Bananas, a schizophrenic destined for the institution that provides the play's title. Artie wants to take his girlfriend Bunny with him to Hollywood. The story features nuns eager to see the Pope, a political bombing, and Ronnie, Artie's son, a GI headed for Vietnam who goes AWOL.
Cast and characters
Source:IMDb; tv.com
Swoosie Kurtz – Bananas Shaughnessy
John Mahoney – Artie Shaughnessy
Christine Baranski – Bunny Flingus
Julie Hagerty – Corrinna Stroller
Ben Stiller – Ronnie Shaughnessy
Richard Portnow – Billy Einhorn
Debra Cole – Little Nun
Patricia Falkenhain – Head Nun
Jane Cecil – Second Nun
Ian Blackman – MP / El Dorado bartender
Brian Evers – The White Man / El Dorado bartender
Production
The telefilm was directed by Kirk Browning and Jerry Zaks, and was filmed on-stage before a live audience at the Plymouth Theatre. The telefilm was broadcast in May 1987 on the PBS series American Playhouse.