Nut House

If you took a bunch of Gary Buseys and locked them in a room with an equal number of typewriters, a buffet of psychedelics and an infinite amount of time, they probably wouldn't re-create the works of Shakespeare. However, they'd have a damn good shot at nailing The House of Blue Leaves. "John Guare writes very different, very strange, full-blooded characters," says director Billie McBride. "But of all the things I've seen Guare do, this is the strangest."

It's 1965. Nuns are on the roof. The Pope is coming to New York City. Artie, a zookeeper by day, thinks he's getting too old to be a young songwriter by night. An MP wants to take his AWOL (and psychotic) son, Ronnie, back to Vietnam. His wife is aptly named Bananas, and his mistress, Bunny, isn't far behind. Worst of all, he can’t seem to get his creative juices flowing. "This is a real time of change for the country and for the lives of these people. A little Vietnam comes in…there are nuns…the Pope and Catholicism…there's an explosion — you know, it's virtually impossible to describe this piece to just about anyone. It just doesn't fit the mold," says McBride. "It really isn't about learning; it's about why these characters don't learn anything. It's a roller-coaster ride that ends in a surprise."

Climb aboard when House opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard in Arvada; performances continue through May 4. Tickets start at $23. For more information, call 720-898-7200 or go to www.arvadacenter.org.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays, 1 & 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Starts: April 4. Continues through May 4, 2008