#106: Butterflies Are Free

Chasing Phantom

It's both a relief and a delight when a show that premiered on Broadway more than 50 years ago isn't a challenge or a slog to get through. "Butterflies Are Free" is a play about a young blind man out on his own for the first time but, thanks to its breezy good humor, is also a fun and satisfying romantic comedy. For an older show, it has a wonderfully progressive non-ableist message but, instead of clobbering the audience with it, it lets some fairly realistic characters convey the lessons in a believable way. And as a nice bonus, all of the leads in the movie version are fabulous so you can enjoy this story anytime, oh like maybe on Valentine's Day!
Speaking of fabulous, my guest for the episode is Matt Bloch, an accomplished actor who played the lead character in "Butterflies" back in 2010. Just a college student at the time, he had the challenge of playing a person with a visual disability as one of his first professional gigs. Matt has a lot of insightful and fun things to say about the production he was in and about a more recent show he just appeared in that also prompts interesting thoughts about the portrayal of characters with disabilities on stage.
It's a great conversation that you're going to love! And if you like it, check out my website, ChasingPhantom.net, for previous episodes and more clips and commentary! Also, write me at [e-mail] with questions, comments, or concerns, OR if you'd like to be a guest talking about one of Broadway's longest running productions. See you back here in two weeks!