By Ruth K Brown
originally published: 01/20/2016
Dysfunctional and yet iconic characters inhabit most of the productions of John Guare’s plays. HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES is no exception introducing the audience to a triad of iconic dreamers … Artie who wants his dream to be reality; Bunny who makes her dreams reality by supporting others’ dreams, and Bananas who has lost her grip on reality and has only dreams left.
How much subtlety and nuance can one expect from a plot that is driven by a zookeeper struggling to be a songwriter, the city-wide frenzy of a papal visit and the potential “blessings” that could provide our dreamers, an AWOL son with negatively bombastic intentions, and a schizophrenic who barks like a dog when reality gets too close? None … is the answer to that question. Mania and black comedy are the bywords of this production.
South Camden Theatre Company opened their production of HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES with director, Susan Jami Paschkes, saying in her program notes that human existence is “…like planets which do not find a path into orbit.” Paschkes designed with Bob Bingaman and Andrew Cowles a claustrophobic and dark 1965 Queens, NY, cold water flat for our dreamers. While the placement of the piano and the use of the kitchen itself could be argued to provide better support from optional placement, the apartment is very appropriate. The placement of areas on either side to provide lighted monologue delivery areas generally works well. While Bunny’s costumes add period color and panache, the overall chromatic scheme is like the ethereal Bananas who drifts around in pale nightclothes for the majority of the play. These people are truly lost planets and their futile hopes for this “special day” to get them into their orbits hang in the air of this production.
Artie, played with Jackie Gleason-esque bravado and sensitivity by Damian Muziani, inhabits his character giving the audience a full view of how the vagaries of his life buffet him. Playing Bunny is Gabrielle M. Affleck. Her performance is a pastiche of comedic abilities. Affleck’s high-pitched vocality could have been grating but never was and Affleck provided a commanding performance for this excitable, twitchy woman. Nuance is something to be expected from Bananas, played with aching despair by Susan Chase. Chase’s ethereal and drifting performance seemed unattached to those around her who are grounded in their daily lives and their current problems. Chase provided a pictoral difference between the women in Artie’s life but more was needed to show the contradictory elements of her schizophrenia. Joshua McLucas gives a strong performance as Artie and Banana’s son, Ronnie. His explanatory monologue about his feelings and the need for the action he is taking is clear and believable in the midst of the chaos that is this day for everyone else.
To use the theatrical phrase, chaos ensues in the second act. The introduction of pushy nuns, the helpful but easily distracted Hollywood friend, Billy Einhorn, and his wife, Corrinna Stroller, who is deaf but doesn’t want people to know, keep the action moving right through to the apartment explosion … yes, I said explosion!
Einhorn and Stroller are played effectively by Tim Sagges and Adriana Alveario, respectively; and the balance of the ensemble adds the final touches of what Guare wants us to believe is modern civilization. It is a delightful evening of laughter with some wistful touches! Comedy runs throughout the production and the second act brings hysteria to the stage.
Come and be entertained by another production well produced by SCTC.
House of Blue Leaves is presented by the South Camden Theatre Company now through January 31 at the Waterfront South Theatre, 400 Jasper Street in Camden, New Jersey. For more information visit http://southcamdentheatre.org
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten by and starring
Vicki Lawrence Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Princeton’s Famous Triangle Show: Roswell That Ends Well
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJIf you’re feeling all alone in the universe – or even if you’re not – Triangle’s newest musical comedy is for you! Join us as Triangle explores what it means to have friends in high – or should we say “sky”? – places. Extraterrestrial visitors, crazy conspiracy theories, and intergalactic shenanigans power this year’s annual laugh-fest of witty jokes, lavish production numbers, and, of course, Triangle’s famous kickline. Can interplanetary goodwill blossom in the dystopian desert of our current times? Get your Triangle tickets now and learn if
Roswell That Ends Well!
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
Murder At The Palace
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:00pm
The Historic Palace Theatre
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJSave the date for an adults-only night out set in the Roaring ’20s, as the Historic Palace Theatre plays host to a Murder Mystery event that’s truly to die for!
EVENT PREVIEWS
The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace
(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace - a roaring 20's murder mystery - on Saturday, November 14, 2026 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. All proceeds benefit the artistic and educational programming of The Growing Stage.
SPQR Stage Co. presents "Pumpin' the Chihuahua"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- SPQR Stage Co. presents Bill Sterritt's "Pumpin' the Chihuahua," an imaginative dark comedy running two weekends from November 14–22, 2026 at studio;space in Somers Point.
Moorestown Theater Company presents "9 to 5, the Musical"
(MOORESTOWN, NJ) -- Moorestown Theater Company presents 9 to 5, the Musical from November 18-22 at First Methodist Church. Three unlikely friends take control of their office and learn there is nothing they can't do, even in a man's world.
Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department presents "The Laramie Project"
(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present a student theatre production of The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, November 18-20, 2026 at 7:00pm each night. The performances, which are free of charge and open to the public, will be held in the Welpe Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus.
Offbook Productions present "The Women of Congress 1776"
(MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ) -- Offbook Productions presents The Women of Congress 1776 on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at the Trailside Nature & Science Center in Mountainside. Showtime is 6:30pm.
Cape May Stage presents "Murder For Two - The Holiday Edition"
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents Murder For Two - The Holiday Edition from November 18 through December 27, 2026. Directed by Roy Steinberg, it's a merry and musical whodunit!
Paper Mill Playhouse to open season with "Mary Poppins"
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins to open the company's 88th season. Performances begin Wednesday, November 18 ahead of a Sunday, November 22 opening night for a run that continues through Sunday, January 3, 2027. This is a spectacular musical filled with wonder, wit, and unforgettable songs.
Somerset County Vocational Technical High School Theater Arts Department presents "Come From Away"
(BRIDGEWATER, NJ) -- In a story about strangers becoming family and tragedy giving way to unexpected hope, one real-life couple's love story has given students at Somerset County Vocational Technical High School a personal connection to the musical they are bringing to the stage.
Centenary Stage Company to Close Out 2026 Fringe Festival with "Unseen"
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company will conclude its 2026 Fringe Festival with Unseen, written and performed by Kimberly Prentice, November 19–22, 2026, in the Kutz Theatre. Blending physical comedy, rapid-fire character changes, and heartfelt storytelling, Unseen takes audiences backstage into the demanding, unpredictable world of Broadway's wardrobe crew, celebrating the people whose essential work often goes unnoticed.
The Road Company presents "Solid Gold: A Show-Stopping Cabaret"
(WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ) -- The Road Company presents Solid Gold: A Show-Stopping Cabaret, an original retrospective revue, from November 19 to December 5, 2026 at the Grand Theatre.
