Butterflies Are Free (play)

Loosely based on the life of attorney Harold Krents, the plot revolves around a blind man living in downtown Manhattan whose controlling mother disapproves of his relationship with a free-spirited hippie. The title was inspired by a passage in Charles Dickens' 1853 novel Bleak House: "I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. Mankind will surely not deny to Harold Skimpole what it concedes to the butterflies."

Butterflies Are Free
Written by	Leonard Gershe
Characters	Don Baker Mrs. Baker Jill Tanner Ralph Austin
Date premiered	21 October 1969
Place premiered	Booth Theatre
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	Don Baker's apartment, at East 11th Street, New York

Butterflies Are Free is a play by Leonard Gershe.

After 12 previews, the Broadway production, directed by Milton Katselas, opened on October 21, 1969 at the Booth Theatre, where it ran for 1,128 performances. The original cast consisted of Keir Dullea, Blythe Danner, Eileen Heckart, and Paul Michael Glaser. Replacements during the run included Gloria Swanson, Pamela Bellwood, Kipp Osborne and David Huffman. Stephen Schwartz composed the title song.

Gershe, Katselas, Heckart, and Glaser were reunited for the 1972 screen adaptation (set in San Francisco) with Edward Albert and Goldie Hawn. Heckart won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in the film.

Broadway awards and nominations

Year	Ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
1970	Tony Award	Best Featured Actress in a Play	Blythe Danner	Won
			Eileen Heckart	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Play	Milton Katselas	Nominated
1971	Theatre World Award		Kipp Osborne	Won
1972	Clarence Derwent Award[1]	Female Supporting Performance on Broadway	Pamela Bellwood	Won

References

1. "The Clarence Derwent Award". Actors' Equity. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-10-04.

External links

• Butterflies Are Free at the Internet Broadway Database