←Recommendations of Erstwhile

Paul Braverman captures a lot of emotions in this short one-man play. A man is mourning his brother, Ed, who he lost to suicide. Ed was a brother he both loved and hated. Was the death inevitable or could he have done something to prevent it? 32 years later and he still wonders. A powerfully written piece. Bravo to Braverman!

Beautiful work. I had to sit and think after hearing Paul Braverman's Erstwhile read aloud. Family, friends and acquaintances past were remembered for both who they were and who I wished they were. That's what this raw, unforgiving monologue will do for you as it holds a mirror to the pain caused by loving flawed people. Can't wait to see this staged. Incredibly relatable and moving.

Raw and powerful, PAUL BRAVERMAN has created such an honest look at addiction and the fallout that always follows. I was lucky enough to be a reading of this stunning monologue, and it is clear that this piece will touch and connect with so many audiences members.

Paul Braverman masterfully captures a very specific experience felt by many and raises it to the level of universality. Losing a loved one is complicated and difficult, but this complication is compounded by the impact of addiction and the role it can play in disfiguring your relationship with those you love. In "Erstwhile," a brother powerfully meditates on these complex emotions, giving voice to many readers and listeners who feel this type of loss intimately. Excellent.

A powerful monologue indeed. I was lucky enough to witness a performance of this recently, and the words of Braverman were already impactful enough, but seeing it brought to life showed me more of the true power that it already had. This monologue deserves to be performed often and is going to bring audiences to the edge of their seats and sometimes tears in the telling.

Paul Braverman pens a deeply confessional monologue about loss, grief, and reconciliation. The personal experience is transformed into art, and the result is this beautifully raw work, attributing a different semantic weight to the word Erstwhile.

This monologue touched my heart in so many ways as I remembered my own erstwhile brother. It is brilliant, personal and jarringly relatable.The excellent writing draws one into the scene and on to the escalating emotional experience. A prize winner for sure. I highly recommend it.

A very insightful monologue that covers a wide spectrum of emotions. Family can be complicated, and with complications come all kinds of feelings. I like that this piece ends on a happier note despite the setting and circumstances.

This monologue is a beautiful tapestry of words that, woven together becomes a blanket of truth and healing. Not a word or thought is wasted. They all belong together in this very order and it is so very powerful. This is a weighted blanket of truth, but every ounce is earned and necessary. This is so powerful on paper. It will be a knock out in performance.

02.16.26 - As someone who lost a brother in a similar way, this play hit me harder than I expected. Some of the details were different (no Hell's Angels in my late brother's past) but many others shockingly similar. I wish on my best day, I could have spoken to him. as eloquently as BROTHER does here, but even though I couldn't, I feel better than Paul Braverman could write it, and that I got a chance to read it.