AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS

Thursday, April 26, 2012

All My Sons




All My Sons
by Arthur Miller
performed by James Farentino, Ayre Gross, Julie Harris, Mitchell Hebert, Naomi Jacobson, Barbara Klein, Paul Morella, Michaeleen O'Neil, Nathan Taylor and Jerry Whiddon
directed by Nick Olcott
1.75 hours



Larry Keller is a WWII pilot has been MIA for a few years. What remains are the ingredients for an American  Tragedy: Larry's mother who refuses to believe that her son is dead; Larry's father, Joe Keller, who was accused, but eventually cleared of wrongdoing for the crime of manufacturing and distributing faulty airplane parts during the war;  Chris Keller, who lives in the shadow of his brother; Steve Deever, Joe's business partner who is serving time for the crime Joe was exonerated for; George Deever, Steve's son and; Ann Deever, Steve's daughter (and George's sister,) Larry's childhood sweetheart and, Chris' current love interest. 

A tree planted as a memorial or beacon for Larry is struck down in a storm and this triggers a cascade of confrontations in the household that careens towards an ugly truth  - a denouement born of grief, sorrow, anger and, resentment. Pathos and angst are wrung out of each scene until there is nothing left but the inevitable razing of individual hopes and a shocking conclusion worthy of a Classic Greek Tragedy.

All My Sons can be a painful play to bear witness to: Souls are laid bare as characters demand to be respected for their principles and motivations, for the persons they are; but are refuted by those closest to them and for whom their ethos has been hewn. Each characters makes a sacrificial offering of their suffering to another, only to be rejected and driven into a psychological corner. But for these same reasons, All My Sons is an important play to experience as well as it exposes the integrity of the foundations of the American Dream. The drive to achieve a manifest destiny is lacerated by the frailties of being human.

Though it is an important play, this particular presentation may not be the best performance. Instead of layering interpretative meaning into the dialog, the lines and monologues are uniformly delivered at a high intensity of rage and bitterness. This is not a play rendered with subtlety or nuance, a point underscored when George arrives at the Keller household for a confrontation. There are accusations and yelling; but all of the sudden George is happy to be back; and then equally as sudden, he's back to being enraged. By not providing emotional room for the characters, by constricting the characters to a monotonous fervor, George has no where to go except to appear as momentarily insensible. It is a delicate scene and a challenge for any director; but this ham-fisted approach robs the scene, and one cannot help but suspect the whole play, of its required elegance.


See Also:
The Armchair Audies (Official Page)
The Mark of Zorro (Audiobook Review)
The Graduate (Audiobook Review)
I, Claudius (Audiobook Review)
The Man Who Had All the Luck (Audiobook Review)



Other Stuff: I purchased a library CD edition of The Arthur Miller Collection (by Arthur Miller; performed by various full casts) from PaperbackShopUS via the Amazon Marketplace. All My Sons is the second play in the collection and is available for individual digital dnload. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Man Who Had All the Luck

The Man Who Had All the Luck
by Arthur Miller
live staged reading performed by Emily Bergl, Kevin Chamberlain, Tim DeKay, James Gammon, Lee Garlington, Graham Hamilton,Tom McGowan, Kurtwood Smith, Russell Soder and Tegan West
directed by Michael Hackett
2.60 hours



Dave Beeves is a lucky man: his childhood sweetheart is now his bride; his auto repair shop is a success owing to an experienced mechanic walking into his shop at exactly the right time; he has a happy, healthy son and; he has just started out on a new venture in setting up a mink farm. But, as he is witness to everyday, not everybody has their dreams come true, despite their hard work and efforts; and even more bizarrely, their bad luck seems to be the currency of his own good fortune. Surely, this karmic debt will need to be paid, right? As Dave continues to gamble with his luck as his ante and, his family, friends and money as his collateral, there is excruciating tension as he "lets it all ride" on a major investment.

The Man Who Had All the Luck takes place in prewar America, at the edge of The Depression which made of mockery of the hard work ethic and, aggrandized "luck" as the only star of destiny/harbinger of fate that a man could comprehend. This is a subtle but constant theme which runs through many of Miller's works: The unfairness of life.

There is an interview with the director included with the audio in which Michael Hackett expounds on the major themes of Miller's plays, many of which are set forth in this early work, including but not limited to the rhetorical style, the Greek chorus element and, the father-son relationship. While the interview is interesting and educational, it creates an overall didactic feel to the play as a whole (versus a visceral experience) and, for the Miller novice, may qualify the experience as well. When looking at parsing out the play's structure and meaning, there is a tendency to only refer back to what the director has highlighted and, intellectualize the drama.

The performances were all fairly even, though not particularly remarkable. This play is not often performed however, so there is no large legacy of interpretation to either inherit or fight through, and overall it is a solid presentation.



Convo Starter:
About ten years ago a friend of mine found a wallet in a phone booth. Inside the wallet was $300. My friend contacted the person whose ID was in the wallet and returned the wallet to the owner. She said it was a matter of "good karma." I pointed out that she, my friend, also needed the money; so how did she know that the money hadn't been a karmic gift to her? Had she messed with her karma by giving the money back and throwing the universal balance out of whack? I admit that I would have taken the money. Many things in my life have been outright stolen from me and I would have seen the money has a partial payment to redress the balance; that it might have even be construed as the universe's gift to me in my hour of need. What would you have done?



See Also:
The Armchair Audies (Official Page)
The Mark of Zorro (Audiobook Review)
The Graduate (Audiobook Review)
I, Claudius (Audiobook Review)




Other Stuff: I purchased a library CD edition of The Arthur Miller Collection (by Arthur Miller; performed by various full casts) from PaperbackShopUS via the Amazon Marketplace. The Man Who Had All the Luck is the first play in the collection and is available for individual digital dnload. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Thunderball

Thunderball
by Ian Fleming
narrated by Simon Vance
(P) 2001, Blackstone Audio, Inc.
7.60 hours








James Bond, 007, spy in Her Majesty's Secret Service, is sent into the Bahamas to vet M.'s hunch that the island area is the site where a military aircraft and it's cargo of two nuclear missiles has disappeared to. Thunderball introduces listenership to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (Special Executive for Counter Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion), the successor organization to SMERSH in the Bond canon; to Blofeld, the mastermind behind the criminal organization and, to Bond Girl, Dominette "Domino" Vitali.

Ian Fleming wrote contemporary novels which reflected the values and fears of Post-War men and women. After two atomic weapons had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Atomic Age was ushered in with all it's possibilities and terrors. The promise of atomic energy was that it would be the driving force behind the manifest industrialism of the Western world; but security concerns and the threat of Communism were equally prevalent. While many view Bond's adventures as fantastic, Thunderball is less so in creating a scenario that even today is not impossible: a NATO plane is high jacked and a terrorist organization seeks to blackmail the Western world with the threat of detonating the bombs unless its demands are met.

Thunderball is the ninth title in the James Bond series and if you've read the preceding eight titles, there are certain things you may find familiar and welcome: the casino card games, the setting in the Caribbean Community, the underwater tableaux and, of course a Bond Girl. What's great about Bond novels though, is that despite these recognizable features, you still don't know what to expect! Instead of being formulaic in his plotting, Fleming uses the familiar as metaphorical touchstones in unfamiliar territory.

Inasmuch as Fleming write of his times, listeners may rise an eyebrow at certain expressions that have fallen out of favor or meant something completely different in 1961 than they do now. To wit, there are frequent references to "nigger heads" which is a term that was used to describe certain kinds of coral and; there is a chapter called "How to Eat a Woman" which is not the sexually explicit reference in the context provided!

Simon Vance is the British narrator for Thunderball and voices the multi-national raft of characters with astuteness, making discernment of the characters easy. If some accents are more challenging for Vance, such as American or the Island Patois, after eight Bond novels he has definitely settled into a comfort zone that accommodates and ameliorates those challenges. It's also worth noting that Fleming didn't throw a figurative curve ball in characters in Thunderball either: no white Anglo colonial daughter raised by a Jamaican nanny (cf. Doctor No)! Simon Vance has definitely taken ownership of Fleming's Bond and roster of characters. Just as Fleming used the familiar touchstones to explore the unfamiliar, Simon Vance has created the vocal equivalent in character work.


Convo Starter:
In the beginning of the novel, Bond is sent to a health spa to detox. The health regimens, outside of the exercise machines, should be surprisingly familiar to 21st century listeners: Emphases on fresh foods and, admonishments against refined sugars, alcohol and tobacco. Bond's housekeeper decries this lifestyle as ill-serving a man of action! While a seemingly ridiculous charge at first, I seem to find myself playing the role of May Maxwell IRL! As a couple of my friends temporarily lose weight on The Juice Fast; but have also become noticeably weaker and, less focused and shorter in their attention spans, I do wonder at the lasting effects of this particular diet and if overall it warrants more concern than admiration. I've already decided that The Juice Fast is not for me; but what do you think about The Juice Fast?


See Also:
The Shaken, Not Stirred: A Simon Vance Audiobook Challenge Featuring James Bond
Casino Royale (Audiobook Review)
Goldfinger Audiobook Review)
Quantum of Solace/For Your Eyes Only (Audiobook Review)


Other Stuff: Thunderball (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance) is a part of the



I received a MP3-CD edition of Thunderball (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance) from Blackstone Audio, Inc. under professional courtesy/reviewer auspices. I had no involvement in the production of this title. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.



Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Out of My Head

Unknown (A Special Edition of Out of My Head*)
by Didier Van Cauweleart; translated by Mark Polizzotti
narrated by Bronson Pinchot
4.30 hours







Martin Harris arrives in Paris and, in the rush to return to the airport to collect his forgotten laptop, grabs a cab. Unfortunately, the cab is involved in an accident with a truck and Martin ends up in a coma for three days. When he wakes up, no one recognizes him - not his wife, not his neighbors, not the doorman... he has become unknown. Martin sets about to prove his identity and reclaim his wife, his life and his career.

Van Cauweleart has created, for the most part, a great psychological thriller from the first person point of view. The listener is privy to the thoughts of Martin - his bewilderment, stubbornness, frustrations and doubts - as he careens through Paris with the help and support of a female cab driver in his efforts not only to gather evidence as to who is is; but to discredit the man who is claiming to be him! Successive sections of the story are built with tantalizing clues and intriguing possible explanations - all embedded in the scenes' details and dialogues. This is not story driven by action/adventure as much as it is upon the subtle terrors and perceptions of the mind. But what exactly is going on? Not only does Martin not know, but the listener doesn't either. There is no sense of imminent danger, only a case of what may be identity theft and a vague conspiracy; or maybe it's just a matter of guilt and paranoia. Out of My Head has confused bafflement with suspense and, unfortunately, the author seems to have exhausted his burgeoning talent for creating a psychological thriller and instead opted for a cheap ending.

Bronson Pinchot, who can be seen on DIY network's The Bronson Pinchot Project, is the American narrator for Out of My Head. He perfectly inhabits the character of Martin and of special note is the argument between Martin and... Martin! Martin, and the-man-claiming-to-be-Martin have a showdown of memories, each trying to prove that he is the true Martin. The dialogue is fast and, as the recountings escalate in tenor the longer the confrontation draws out, one can hear the frustrations and smugness of each of the men as they stake their claims. It is an absurd conversation that could never actually happen; but Bronson Pinchot makes it sound natural.


* The original name of the book is Out of My Head and it is under the original title that the submission to the APA/Audie judges was made. Upon the release of the movie, Unknown (starring Liam Neeson,) which was based on the story, the audio edition was renamed Unknown ( A Special Edition of Out of My Head.) The cover art was changed to that of the movie poster art.


Convo Starter:
The hardback edition of this story is under 200 pages long, making it a short novel or novella by definition. A short novel is a testament to an author's skill in that it takes quite a bit of literary craftsmanship to deliver the story with enough detail to make it all work; but there is no room for extensive backstory or digressive ruminations that might otherwise add character depth or plot nuance. While this may at first seem like a limitation, it allows the reader room to project or imagine things into the novel. For instance, "3:10 to Yuma" (short story by Elmore Leonard) is a spare but complete story that has been made into a film twice and, both times the essence of the story, what Elmore Leonard wrote, was integrated into the screenplay; and yet what the screenwriters added in, in terms of backstory and other details, created vastly different results. Do you see the the short form as a concentrated story form, or as a writer's abridgment?


See Also:
Armchair Audies (The Bad Employee/Bad Wife Edition - Inaugural Post)
"3:10 to Yuma" (Audiobook Review)


Other Stuff:

Unknown (A Special Edition of Out of My Head; by Didier Van Cauweleart; translated by Mark Polizzotti; narrated by Bronson Pinchot) qualifies for:



I received a MP3-CD edition of Unknown (A Special Edition of Out of My Head; by Didier Van Cauweleart; translated by Mark Polizzotti; narrated by Bronson Pinchot) from Blackstone Audio, Inc. under reviewer auspices. I had no involvement in the production of Unknown (A Special Edition of Out of My Head; by Didier Van Cauweleart; translated by Mark Polizzotti; narrated by Bronson Pinchot.) I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3:
Encore for Murder
by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach
2.50 hours







Mike Hammer is a private investigator whose sense of justice is predicated less on the letter of the law than the spirit of the law. Bordering on vigilantism, Hammer's actions are backed up by an ethos born of Post-War morality and by a Colt .45 named "Betsy." Max Allan Collins has updated the time line to make Hammer a Vietnam veteran; and the story takes place in present day New York City; but Hammer comes across as something of a relic of a bygone age and as someone who neither understands nor respects due process or authority. Hammer, whose intractable sense of right and wrong and belief that the end justifies the means, exacts a rough justice for those who stand in his way.

In "Encore for Murder," Rita Vance, an ex-girlfriend of Mike Hammer's, needs a bodyguard. Making an acting comeback by starring in a Broadway show, she has been targeted with a series of threatening and anonymous letters. Mike Hammer agrees to protect her out of a sense of chivalry and because he has the sexual drive and control of an adolescent. It's difficult to imagine the universal sex appeal that Spillane and Collins imbue Mike Hammer with, as the brand of machismo that Hammer wears is about as dated as his sense of justice and the Fedora he sports.

The sex and violence are blunt and even vulgar in places, not in what is being described but in how they are described. The crudity of the prose and sentiments combine to make some scenes cringe-worthy.

Stacy Keach played the role of Hammer in the 1980s television series and returns as Hammer in the audio dramas. Keach has superseded other versions of Hammer in the public eye and has invested much of his talent in successfully preserving the legacy. As such, he is Mike Hammer and the perfect casting choice for The New Adventures.

There is a different set of expectations going into The New Adventures, production-wise, than for other audio dramas. The New Adventures take more from the playbook of radio dramas instead of trying to create a virtual soundtrack of the story. The Foley and voice enhancements are rather ham-fisted in comparison; but match the prose's style and writing manner well.


Convo Starter:
In "Encore for Murder," Mike Hammer is an underage soldier in the Vietnam War. No date was specified in the story; but let's say Hammer was sixteen years old the year that Saigon fell (April 30, 1975) - that would make him fifty-two to fifty-three years old in 2011/2012. That is definitely better than being a nonogenarian (cf The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death)! But is it still too old for Mike Hammer to be behaving the way he is behaving (i.e. like a fifteen year old when it comes to his libido and action adventure tactics?)


See Also:


Other Stuff:
The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach) qualifies for:



I received a MP3-CD edition of The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach) from Blackstone Audio, Inc. under reviewer auspices. I had no involvement in the production of The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach.) I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The New Adventures of Mickey's Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer,
Vol. 2: The Little Death
by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach
2.25 hours










Mike Hammer is the old school private investigator living in 21st century New York City, still willing and able to deliver black-and-white justice in a technicolor world. In "The Little Death," Helen Venn, the girlfriend and bookkeeper of the late Marty Wellman, gambling kingpin, seeks protection from Marty's rival, Carmen Rich. At stake is the ten million dollars everyone believes Helen has, not to mention Helen's life. Helen needs protection and Mike Hammer's chivalry is aroused as well as his libido.

For those who fondly remember the Mike Hammer franchise from the 1940s and 1950 and/or the TV shows starring Stacy Keach in the 1980s, The New Adventures provide a touchstone to a character of a known quantity: a man of unwavering loyalty, ideals and, a gun named Betsy to back it all up. For those unfamiliar with Mike Hammer, The New Adventures offers an action hero who metes out lethal justice straight-forwardly and without equivocation. Mike Hammer is an unapologetic throwback to wrong versus right conflict, which some may love for simplicity's sake; but others may decry for lack of traction in the gray areas of life.

The title, "The Little Death" is a double entendre, referring not only to a homicide of little importance, but to an orgasm. This is spelled out in the narrative right away, but in case you miss it, listeners should be forewarned that this is not family fare. There is nothing subtle in any of the sexual innuendoes and in fact the references are often crude and artless. There are even sound effects at one point, of a couple having sex, including the squeaky bedsprings.

Mickey Spillane purportedly said:
See, heroes never die. John Wayne isn't dead, Elvis isn't dead. Otherwise you don't have a hero. You can't kill a hero. That's why I never let him get older.
This may be true in an abstract way; but the reality is that both John Wayne and Elvis aged and died and, some listeners may not be able to help themselves from doing the math where Mike Hammer is concerned too. In the Mike Hammer canon, he was a WWII vet. In the best case scenario, having him fight in the Battle of Guadacanal at the age of twenty, that would make Mike Hammer a nonogenarian. There is nothing in "The Little Death" that adjusts the time line forward, so what we have is a really old man running around acting like a twenty-something-year old! Plus, Velda, who has been his secretary and unrequited love interest all these years, is running around in pink lace lingerie. The mind boggles!

Stacy Keach, who played Mike Hammer in the 1980 television series, reprises his role as the had-boiled detective in The New Adventures. He has become the quintessential Mike Hammer, with his gruff tones and Mid-Century sensibilities. Any other actor in the role has become virtually impossible to imagine. Interestingly, Stacy Keach seems to be very involved in The New Adventures: He wrote and played the saxophone musical score and his wife, Malgosia Tomassi plays a recurring role in all three volumes of the audio dramas.

The production team applies a voice enhancement, reverb to Stacy Keach's voice when he speaks from the narrative point of view, which is the audio equivalent of warping the picture with wavy lines in a T.V. show to indicate a segue into a flashback or dream sequence. Not very artful; but it does the trick in delineating narrative from scenes with dialogue.

Convo Starter:
The writing overall is better than the first volume of The New Adventures; but one wonders if, despite the updates into the twenty-first century; Mike Hammer might be better left consigned to the place in history where he and his ideals best fit in, Post-War America. What do you think? Do you think that the hard-boiled noir detectives of the fifties have a place in 21st century culture, other than as a throwback or nostalgia trip? Can you think of any other candidates for an updated appearance?


See Also:
The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (audiobook review of the first volume)


Other Stuff: The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach) qualifies for:



I received a MP3-CD copy of The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach) from Blackstone Audio, Inc. under reviewer auspices.I had no involvement in the production of this title. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and.or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

I, Claudius

I, Claudius
based on the novel by Robert Graves
A BBC Radio 4 full cast production starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and, Derek Jacobi as Augustus
Ⓟ 2011, AudioGo, Ltd
5.8 hours (12 episodes @ ≈30 minutes each)











Every culture has its Golden Age and Ancient Rome was no different. The monarchy was overthrown by the Republic (see Julius Caesar) and eventually the empire was manifestly consolidated under the reign of Augustus (31 B.C. - 14 A.D.) Augustus' reign as caesar inaugurated the Pax Romana, and ironically, his death would signal an epic struggle for power amongst his family. The political landscape for which successive caesars fought was divided into two allegiances: those who held to Republican ideals (Senate, check and balances, plebeian representation) versus the the imperial dictates of leaders who then often became gods post-mortem. By the time of Augustus' death, the ideals of the Republic were part of a Golden Age, fondly remembered and nominally respected but with no political traction against the immense power the caesars came to wield.

I, Claudius chronicles the history of Rome's caesars from the waning days of Augustus to the last moments of Claudius' reign - all told principally through Claudius' point of view à la the meta literary device of having Claudius narrate his own autobiography. The time frame covered, roughly 10 B.C. to 54 A.D, covers the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and, Claudius himself, with Nero waiting in the wings. The rise and fall of each of the caesars is the product of massive and insidious court intrigue, manipulation and assassinations.

The BBC 4 Radio production has very high production values and talent with the result that the listener feels as if s/he is actually bearing witness to history. The foley effects are expertly applied and mental visualization of the action is made easy. Each of the actors performs their role with distinction so that there is never any question as to who is speaking or what is going on. Claudius, famous for his stutter, is played by Tom Goodman Hill who plays the speech impediment strongly at the beginning and then tempers it somewhat as the narrative continues, reflecting Claudius' own progress against the stammer. In moments of high anxiety, the stammer returns and, countered by the strong assertive voices of the other actors, reminds the listener that Claudius was never the fearsome, intimidating god-in-the-making; but rather an intelligent scholar and statesman who survived the machinations of Livia, his ambitious stepmother, by flying under the radar. BBC 4 attached Derek Jacobi's name to this production in the promotions, capitalizing on his reputation in the title role in the BBC television series nearly forty years ago. But Jacobi does not reprise his role in I, Claudius. This time he plays the role of the older, esteemed Augustus. It is a sleight of hand that cheats Tom Goodman Hill of due notice; but the production is none the worse for it. I, Claudius is a well produced, well performed audio drama that brings Robert Graves' esteemed novel to life.


In the U.S., people often refer to the 1950s as a Golden Age: High standard of living and low crime rate. And yet, racism, sexism and homophobia, not to mention McCarthyism and fears of atomic war were prevalent. Do you think Mid-Century America was a Golden Age?


See Also:

Armchair Audies (Inaugural Post)
The Mark of Zorro (Audiobook Review)
The Graduate (Audiobook Review)


Other Stuff: I, Claudius (based in the novel by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Derek Jacobi and Tom Goodman Hill) qualifies for:



I purchased a digital dnload copy of I, Claudius (based in the novel by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Derek Jacobi and Tom Goodman Hill) from iTunes. I had no involvement in the production of I, Claudius (based in the novel by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Derek Jacobi and Tom Goodman Hill.) I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Graduate

The Graduate
based on the novel by Charles Webb and;
the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry
dramatized by Terry Johnson
live stage reading performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys
1.65 hours



Having graduated from from college and on track to live The American Dream, Benjamin Braddock is not so sure that that is what he really wants or even what that really means. It's 1967, societal paradigms are being deconstructed and Ben's self-assuredness, intelligence, angst and inexperience combine to mire him in months of indecision and a retreat into his parents' home and the arms of Mrs. Robinson. Why, exactly Ben chooses to sleep with the much older, alcoholic, intellectually stunted woman is not clear; but she serves as a foil to Ben's potential. Having lived according to the dictates of mid-century life, she has ended up as damaged goods and has the capacity to keep Ben bogged down. And why Mrs. Robinson chooses to seduce Ben remains equally unclear. She does not seem to gain anything other than immediate gratification from their relationship, though amelioration from the disappointments of her own life are implied. The situation becomes further complicated when Ben is set up on a date with Elaine, Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

The Graduate is a comedy that finds its humor in finding the absurdity of the quotidian. Underneath the ideals of American life is the messy, complicated and bizarre constructs of human emotions and reactions. If you didn't laugh, you might cry; but there are great lines and ripostes written into the script and, the performances of the full cast ensemble show remarkable timing and chemistry. Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys reprised their roles as Mrs. Robinson and Ben respectively from the original run ten years ago in the West End.

The L.A. Theater Works production is a live stage reading and the audience's reaction to the exchanges provide the auditory cues for the listener. There are no foley effects, so the audience serves as the relay between the immediate action of the performers and the listener. The audience is always one step ahead, laughing, responding perhaps to the body language or facial expressions of the actors, while the listener waits for the explanatory line. While somewhat disconcerting, the overall performance comes across as fun and funny. You'll wish you had been there!


After graduating, Ben was at a crossroads in his life: He could either follow the path that his past had circumscribed for him or; he could try and forge ahead, creating his own path. We encounter similar choices almost continually in our lives: to go to college or not; to take on pre-med or theater courses; to live in a garrett starving for our art or selling out to take a computer programming job that pays... For decades, people were lifers in corporate jobs, pursued a single career or vocation. Now re-inventing one's self and having multiple careers in a single lifetime are very common. Do you think that the social revolutions of the 1960s played a role in forming the now-quotidian search for self (as manifested by what we do?) Extra points if you manage to incorporate "post-modernism" in your comment(s)!



See Also:
Kathleen Turner on Mrs. Robinson and Molly Ivins (L.A. Stage Times article by Steve Julian; 12/10/2010)
The Mark of Zorro (Audiobook Review of the Audio Drama based on the novel by Johnsotn McCulley; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky and, performed by a full cast starring Val Kilmer)


Other Stuff: The Graduate (based in the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry; dramatized by Terry Johnson; performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys) qualifies for:



I purchased a digital dnload copy of The Graduate (based in the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry; dramatized by Terry Johnson; performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys) from iTunes. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.