What happens when you mix plot elements that include a pope, a zookeeper/aspiring songwriter, a Hollywood director, a wife and mistress, a would-be bomber, a deaf actress and several nuns?

Welcome to John Guare's bizarre comedy, "The House of Blue Leaves," which is being staged by a youthful cast at Fauquier Community Theater. The two-act play is part of the theater's annual Youth Showcase.

Set in 1965 in Queens, New York, the play tells the story of Artie Shaugnessy (Dylan Cooke), a zookeeper by day who dreams of being a Hollywood songwriter and plies his trade by night in seedy bars. Artie is unhappily married to the appropriately named "Bananas" (Brooke Hahne) and has a troubled son (Josh Colilluri), who goes AWOL from Fort Dix, just before being sent to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Artie is having an affair with Bunny (Sadie Carr), a woman who lives in the downstairs apartment and makes Artie believe that his quest for something greater is attainable (despite his inept songwriting).

An imminent visit to New York City by the pope sets the tragicomic plot in motion. For Artie, the pope's visit is a sign that his Hollywood dreams might come through. He reaches out to an old friend, Billy (Michael Golder), a successful movie director, to help him. Billy arrives on the scene with a deaf starlet in tow (Holly Tupper). At the same time, Artie's son shows up with the intention of setting off a bomb during the pope's visit and three nuns burst on the scene in an effort to get a glimpse of the papal arrival from Artie's apartment building. A series of unforeseen events ensues.

Humor and Tragedy Intersect

"John Guare is kind of dark," acknowledges the play's director, Sean Trapani, a recent graduate of Fauquier High School who is set to enlist in the U.S. Air Force in August. "There are a lot of times when you think, 'Did he just go there?' "

But it's the absurd nature of the story that provides an otherwise troubling plot with plenty of levity amid moments of poignancy. Guare has an ability to infuse seemingly tragic plot turns with comedy, notes Trapani.

"It's really funny," he said. "You'll get a lot of good laughs, but there are also points where you'll relate to the characters too. It's kind of an intensified version of real life, and it all crumbles in the end."

Others involved in the production include Hannah Malinowski, Marina Finelli and Victoria Whitesides as nuns and Tyler Treague as a police officer. Finelli and Josh Vest share stage management duties, and the show's producer is Evelyn Rice.

Performances of "The House of Blue Leaves" are scheduled for July 26, 27 and 28 and Aug. 2, 3 and 4. Curtain time on Friday and Saturday nights is 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $12 for students and senior citizens and $14 for adults. They can be purchased and printed online at fctstage.org or by calling 540-349-8760.