Playwright/Novelist/Filmmaker
"What is the playwright's equivalent of the novelist's "unputdownable'- 'ungetupable' perhaps? Butterfield ... deserves some such accolade." -
New York Post
"A thoughtful, balanced, cleanly structured work. Ms. Butterfield has a gift for clear exposition that many other playwrights would benefit from." -
New York Times
"A richly complex story about what people are willing to live with in marriages that aren't perfect. Under Evan Yionoulis' sensitive direction even the children come off as totally believable."
New York Newsday
REVIEWS FOR THE SLEEPER
"Butterfield does in ninety minutes what it would take many writers a lifetime to do -- peel back the layers of unique individuals to make you understand how they feel." North Arkansas News
"A prolific writer, Butterfield confidently switches among settings and does frequent about faces in tone. Zippy and hilarious." LA Times.
The 1920's, 1970s and 2000's - three eras in the life of a New York Brownstone. Originally produced at the Laguna Playhouse with (from top) Deborah Puette, Brian Rohan, Kim Shively, Dorothea Harahan, Lori Okin and Anthony Pesi.
REVIEW FOR SNOWING AT DELPHI
"Not since Steel Magnolias has there been a new comedy as laughable and loveable. The humor swells from smiles to chuckles to guffaws, and sentiment waxes from warm to glowing." New York Daily News
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Elaine's glamorous sister is coming to visit. Married to a TV star , she is seemingly living a dream life. But why does she have bruises on her arms? And why is her carefully-coached young daughter so unnervingly unresponsive to questions? Elaine is determined to get to the bottom of it, and finds herself looking at her own marriage in the process.
Ellen Parker and Catherine Butterfield in the original Manhattan Theatre Club production
PUBLISHED PLAYS
Mom has been acting erratically lately, at least that's what the neighbors say, and her grown up kids are worried enough to come home. But mom's not ready for a rest home yet - she's taken a young lover, and they're sure he's after her money.
Adam Ferrara and Peggy Scott, original production at Abingdon Theatre, NY
REVIEWS FOR LIFE IN THE TREES
Catherine Butterfield, author of the eloquent "Joined at the Head," is a playwright with a near-perfect touch: Her wry reversals of plot and audience expectations deliver compassionate takes on contemporary contradictions and confusions. "Life in the Trees" is a gem, achingly funny and true. CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"An amusing exegesis of urban angst, "Life in the Trees" places Catherine Butterfield among the premiere ranks of disaffected playwrights whose humor derives from endearingly neurotic characters ravaged by the killing stress of big city life." LA TIMES
"Butterfield again proves herself a superior playwright, a master of delicious dialogue, with heart beneath the humor." VARIETY
Ellen Parker, John Christopher Jones, CB, Ray Vierta, Arabella Field, Sam Tsoutsouvas.
After twenty years, the tough but deeply caring Kelly has finally arranged to meet the daughter she gave up for adoption in high school. Geneva, who has grown up with a fair amount of privilege, has been ready to meet her mother for years. When she arrives at Kelly's decidedly blue-collar Boston area home with her roommate from Emerson, she's a little unsure of what to make of her birth mother, aunt, and the surprise information that she has a brother. But when Kelly reveals why she has finally invited Geneva there, the fireworks begin.
REVIEWS FOR TO THE BONE
"A great story and funny, stunning dialogue comes in a gift called TO THE BONE, a drama cloaked in a comedy... the Boston set family story has enough twists and turns to keep you both guessing and caring." -STAGE AND CINEMA
"A gem.... an explosion of humor, poignancy, twists and turns performed with heart and skill." -- Colorado Boulevard
"Endlessly captivating, rib-ticklingly funny, profoundly moving dramedy." - Stage Scene LA
"...a beautiful play. Funny, suspenseful, gorgeously written and utterly human." NoHo Arts Review
Scenes from the original production of TO THE BONE
(Especially helpful if you want to hear that Boston accent.)
Winner of Kaufman and Hart Award for Best New Comedy
A sheltered but unhappy housewife, devastated by the events of 9-11, falls in love with her son's tutor..... then begins to suspect he's a terrorist.
Amy Tribbey and Matthew Walker, Arkansas Repertory
Josh Brolin and Melissa Hurst in the original GeVa Theatre Production, Rochester, NY
Mandy Levin, Benjamin Matthes, Theatre Tribe, LA
Corrie Vickers, Pete Gardner
"Intimate triple two-hander boasts enough intriguing characters and plot twists to satisfy a narrative-hungry audience..." Variety
"The playwright has an engaging, easy tone, and she's refreshingly frank about the ways women let their desire tie them into knots." LA TIMES
Drama Desk Nominee, Best New Play. Winner of New York Newsday/Oppenheimer award.
REVIEWS FOR JOINED AT THE HEAD
"Refreshing talent... In a manner related to Tom Stoppard and John Guare, the work deals enticingly with truth and fiction... a vibrant reflection on life, art and friendship.....a striking accomplishment." NEW YORK TIMES
“An incontestable achievement,” THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE
“For the actress and the playwright to be 'Joined at the Head,' as they are in Catherine Butterfield's fine, funny play of that title at the Manhattan Theater Club at City Center is a feat tantamount to splitting one's personality. That Butterfield does it successfully is a tribute to her many talents as a writer and actress. An elegant off-Broadway debut for a fine playwright and actress who is a name to watch for in either capacity.” UPI
Arabella Field, Sam Tsoutsouvas in the original WPA Theatre New York production
Catherine Butterfield
The Books, Plays, and Films of Catherine Butterfield.