I Was Not Blown Away by "The House of Blue Leaves"

There were a few reasons why The House of Blue Leaves revival was not on my hot list of shows to see on Broadway. First and foremost were the not so good reviews of the limited engagement production at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Second, I just needed a break from John Guare after that fiasco of a production of A Free Man of Color at Lincoln Center last year. 

However, it was a rainy midweek evening and I love to go to the theater when the weather is bad. Also, I was curious about Edie Falco's performance (hailed as the gem in this production) and David Cromer's direction. Armed with a discount code from playbill.com, I went over to the box office and was able to get an orchestra seat in the third row of the right side of the theater.

With a well designed stage and the star power of capable actors, I really do not have any strong feelings one way or the other about this production of The House of Blue Leaves. While I overheard some audience members praising the show, I somehow wish that I could have seen (for comparative purposes) the lauded production from 1986 when Mr. Ben Stiller made his stage debut.

As I left the theater, I saw a small group of people waiting by the stage door. I decided to wait with the group for a few minutes since I was not in a rush. A few minutes later, Mr. Stiller emerged. He graciously signed Playbills in the drizzle. I handed him my Playbill and asked that he not wait another 25 years for us to see him on the stage again. He said that he would not. 

Now we wait...