Chapel Theatre (May 9th to May 19th 2007)

Butterflies Are Free - a play by Leonard Gershe.
Directed by Ruth Sim Brummell
(photos by Steve Wright)

Loosely based on the life of attorney Harold Krents, the plot revolves around a Manhattan blind man (Dan - played by Matt Kiefer) whose controlling mother (played by Nicki Tonkin) disapproves of his relationship with a free-spirited hippie (Jill - played by Charmaine Marshall). Butterflies also stars Jonathon "Johnno" Mitchell as "the other guy".

The title was inspired by a passage in Charles Dickens' 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 ran on Broadway for 1128 performances starting in 1969. And, in 1972, the screen version won Eileen Heckart (mum) the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Edward Albert a Golden Globe as Most Promising Male Newcomer. (Goldie Hawn played Jill)

A fine cast under Ruth's most able direction should make this yet another memorable event at the Chapel.

Memorable Quote:

Jill: I wanted to scream, go running out into the night! But I couldn't.. It was 10 o'clock in the morning and well, you can't go running out into 10 o'clock in the morning.

Afterthought:

By the way - Much of the information above has been shamelessly lifted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia. Original article here.

Oh yes - and did you know that the word "WIKIpedia" is based on the acronym for "What I Know Is"? This makes it a great name for an encyclopaedia compiled from contributions by the public.

The following review by Tim Hughes is reproduced here with the kind permission of the Glen Innes Examiner

THE loss of one human sense forces the other four to compensate - so it is appropriate that a humorous play about blindness, courage and independence has been given such a deft touch by the Glen Innes Arts Council.

'Butterflies Are Free' - a play written by Leonard Gershe that was later turned into a film starring Goldie Hawn - is about a blind man in New York whose controlling mother disapproves of his relationship with a free-spirited hippie.

Intelligent and educated, Don Baker (Matt Kiefer) has been blind since birth, but is seeking independence away from his mother (Nikki Tonkin). In New York he sets up a neat and tidy home in an apartment that is only separated by a doorway - and tissue-thin walls - from his neighbour, the free-spirited, 19-year-old divorcee and aspiring actress, Jill Tanner (Charmaine Marshall). A surprise visit by Mrs Baker, who catches them in their underwear, forces the two to confront their feelings for each other. But just as Mrs Baker prepares to give her son the independence he requires, his confidence is bruised when Jill runs off with film producer Ralph (Johnathon Mitchell).

Set in one day in 1969 - the quick sequence from meeting to mating defines the times - the play is otherwise just as contemporary in its themes as when it was written. The challenges of giving those with special needs or disabilities the same opportunities to live independently in mainstream society continues; so, too, do the special and sometimes complicated relationships parents and their children share.

For the play to work, the character of Don must be believably blind. Matt Kiefer, in his debut stage role in Glen does quite an extraordinary job in his convincing portrayal as a man without sight. Not once do his eyes betray him, and the pathos, sympathy and pride one easily feels for his character anchors the play throughout. Given that Keifer only had small parts in two university college musicals before this, he shows a stage maturity well beyond his experience. Interestingly, Edward Albert who played Don in the 1972 film, won a Golden Globe as Most Promising Male Newcomer; the Arts Council, too, must be delighted to have found such potential.

Complementing Kiefer's Don perfectly is Charmaine Marshall as the ditzy Jill, whose character recalls an old quote by Elle Macpherson that one "should never read anything you haven't written." Marshall builds on the considerable talent she showed in her first stage appearance in Johnny Don't Jump in 2005, and her confident manner allows her to embody the free-spiritedness of the era. A duologue for all of the first Act, the two have done well to learn so many lines, and with an audience or two under their belts the forgivable, occasional need for cues are likely to disappear.

Another fresh face to the stage is Nikki Tonkin as the gloved, coiffed, and utterly stitched up Mrs Baker. From the moment she appears in Don's apartment just before interval she has our attention. Tonkin's curt, cutting dialogue is delivered clearly and snappily; Miss Prim was never such a smiling assassin. Perhaps revealing just a little of her character's more sympathetic side in the important final scene could only further enhance what is a strong stage debut.

Johnathon Mitchell, last scene here in Grease and used to bringing a smile to the face of audiences, well draws the theatricality of his character, so much so that Ralph may be warmer than he deserves.

Bringing to life a play that Arts Council president Mal Kiehne has wanted to do for decades, director Ruth Sim-Brummell does not disappoint. Her outstanding casting, and delicate direction, allows the very funny yet thought provoking script come to the fore. The functional, logical set and professional lighting treatment are up to the Arts Council's usual high standard.

In the words of Donnie Dark, the book character created by Mrs Baker for her son, 'there are none so blind as those that cannot see.' Butterflies are Free' will certainly open your eyes to some outstanding local talent.

Jill Tanner: Charmaine Marshall.
Don Baker: Matt Kiefer
Mrs Baker: Nikki Tonkin
Ralph Austin: Johnathon Mitchell