←Recommendations of an autobiography edited by Charlotte Bronte

A marvelous look inside the need to leave behind a legacy through art and the sibling rivalry that takes place in that process. Beautiful, moving work!

Imaginative and intelligent. A lyrical examination the importance of storytelling, as well as a look an a relatively unknown (at least to me) part of literary history.

A play about history needs to feel fresh and alive, contemporary, current, to work, and Kaplan's magical, magnetic, heartbreaking new take on these staggering literary figures does just that. Whether you're a Brontë-phile or a newcomer to their gothic world, these multi-faceted characters, with their dynamic dialogue, and their story's deeply-felt themes, will draw you in. A shoo-in for colleges and universities, this play seems tailor-made for students to sink their creative teeth into.

Kaplan gives us a fantastical look at the Bronte siblings and their legacy. We get a welcome glimpse into a writer’s life that is highly theatrical with none of the “cliched writer scenes” that pepper many plays. In childhood, Branwell’s imagination and generosity fueled his sisters’ talents. It’s especially poignant to see the changes in their positions from childhood to adult. Meticulously researched, the play offers us a look at a family of artists coping with loss, success, and jealousy - wrapped in love.

This play has everything going for it: great female roles, familiar people, relentlessly astounding theatricality, great story, humor, playfulness, and poignancy. Once this gets on the school/college and community theater circuit, it may never leave!

This is a most original look at the iconic Bronte's. By using a perspective including their one brother, a surprisingly intimate look at the sisters is achieved. The Bronte's played games like this, I'm sure, and included their dead sisters as a tribute. That would be very Victorian. Keeping suspense and a rollicking rhythm suits a tale for children and adults alike. History has never been so playful.

An arresting and theatrical examination of the Bronte siblings. While the Bronte mythos is literary legend, Stephen Kaplan manages to make the Brontes seem like real people rather than stodgy historical figures. There is a complex and desperate humanity to them, especially Branwell, who wants to be on the same level with his sisters but knows that he will never reach their level. With characters such as these, this is an incredibly actor-friendly script, Emily's character-shifting monologue being a highlight. I can imagine sound and lighting designers having fun on this play, too. Bravo!

The Brontes have always fascinated me and this heart-wrenching look at the siblings is fantastic! It's moving and bittersweet with strong historical male and female characters any theatre artist would love portraying. Perfect for high school and college seasons, I'd love to see this on it's feet. Thank you Kaplan for taking me on this amazing journey!

Fully dimensional characters who are witty and loving, and also blunt and flawed. A story that sings praises to creation and imagination, and also notes their limitations. A plot that is a slow-simmering mystery but has at its core a sense of personal longing and loss.

I cannot imagine the amount of research Kaplan conducted to so perfectly dramatize the details of the Brontë family's lives. And I am in awe of Kaplan's artistry that makes the family not mere bronze busts to be worshiped by Brontë fetishists, but a family of siblings that are of the real world.

A delightful (and heart-wrenching) journey through the fantasy world these siblings created, as the magic of the imagination proves to be not enough to sustain the unfortunate Branwell through his creative disappointments.