Stage and Cinema
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Catherine Butterfield’s Brownstone (2008) is built around a solid, even enticing idea: we have three couples, each occupying the same second-floor apartment in a Manhattan brownstone during three eras—1930s, the 1970s, and the turn of the 21st century. Instead of three separate acts in the same location like Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite or California Suite, their stories are interwoven rather than chronological, meant to reveal how wealth, ambition, and the need for approval—particularly paternal approval—shape behavior across generations. Unfortunately, under the insipid direction of Ron West (Butterfield’s husband) at Atwater Theatre, the smart, potentially rich premise never comes close to fulfilling what that setup promises."`
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...The walls of a century-old Upper West Side apartment have much to talk about in Catherine Butterfield’s Brownstone, a trio of fascinating tales all taking place in a single residence but at three distinct periods of time."
LA Theatrix
- Recommended
"...Catherine Butterfield's "Brownstone," having its Los Angeles premiere by Open Fist Theatre Company in the Atwater Village Theatre, is an exploration of city living in three distinct stories set in the 1930s, 1970s and early days of the new millennium. Set in a classic New York brownstone, each story follows a young couple navigating the highs and lows of living in the big city."
Stage Raw
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Butterfield’s script relays these stories with nominal wit or probing (For example, what about some insight into these women’s need for — or rejection of — their daddy’s approval?). The plots are predictable, though the drama picks up in the second act as the stakes for each character get higher, and the final scene does carry some poignancy."
Colorado Boulevard
- Highly Recommended
"...Catherine Butterfield's Brownstone brings to life her long-standing fascination with New York brownstones, imagining the lives, accomplishments, and experiences of those who lived there-"if these walls could talk," as the saying goes."
Ticket Holders LA
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The premise for Catherine Butterfield's Brownstone is both unique and clever, as separate storylines about three different pairs of tenants living in the same Manhattan brownstone at different periods of time in the 20th century are explored simultaneously."
Larchmont Buzz
- Highly Recommended
"...Butterfield imagines decades within a New York brownstone. Over time, two couples and a set of roommates occupy the elegant, and sometimes subdivided, space during 1937, 1978 and 1999. A clever set simultaneously displays multiple iterations of furniture, artwork and telephones: a ‘30s settee devolves into a ‘70s beanbag chair."
The Hollywood Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Performed in two acts, we get to know each of the pairs in Act One, and witness how historical events will change their fortunes in Act Two. But some astonishing connections between the parties are revealed through the physical presence of the Brownstone itself."
Broadway World
- Recommended
"...Kind of a poor man’s cousin to Tom Stoppard’s ARCADIA, BROWNSTONE sweeps across the 20th century, peeking in at historical milestones while the dreams of individuals dreams are formed, shattered and reassembled. The playwright’s story structure is engaging and West’s cast is rich with charisma, with the action fitting comfortably into Munroe’s smartly realized stage at the Atwater Village Theatre complex. BROWNSTONE will be catnip to anybody nursing daddy issues, and actually allows us not to shed a tear for someone who loses their life in a terrorist attack."
