Butterflies Are Free is a warm comedy-drama by Leonard Gershe that became a Broadway hit and later a popular film. The story follows Don Baker, a blind young man who has recently moved into his own Greenwich Village apartment determined to live independently for the first time. He strikes up a fast friendship, and eventually a romance, with his free-spirited, unconventional neighbor, an aspiring actress with a chaotic love life of her own. Complications arise when Don's fiercely protective mother arrives, unable to accept that her son no longer needs, or wants, her constant supervision. The play balances genuine tenderness with sharp comic banter as it explores themes of independence, overprotection, and learning to let go. Its gentle humor and heartfelt message about self-reliance made it a favorite on the community theater circuit throughout the 1970s.

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