This is the fifth in a regular weekly series (every Wednesday) of 4 Audible reviews, broken down into the categories, which I selected for my first Audible blog (Dan’s Top 5 Reasons to Start Listening to Audible.co.uk) and subdivided, where helpful.
So, this latest one is ‘Original Dramas’. Links to where you can purchase each of the titles for yourself (via Audible) are available by clicking the relevant title or photograph. Enjoy!
‘Romeo and Jude: An Audible Original Drama’ by Marty Ross
Audible Cast includes Owen Teale, Nick Moran & Matthew Tennyson
Romeo and Jude is a gritty reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy, set predominantly, in the rehearsal rooms of an amateur dramatics company. Joining the cast, with some trepidation, two men are brought together in the iconic roles of Romeo and Juliet and find their lives echoing the story of the tragic heroes, which they are playing on stage.
I’ve got to be honest, having just re-watched every series in an impressive marathon, it was a little difficult for me to divorce Owen Teale’s voice from that of his villainous Ser Alliser Thorne in Game of Thrones but all credit to him for tackling such a contrasting role here. His Ray is the heart of the piece, struggling to admit his feelings for young Jude.
As Jude, Matthew Tennyson, the openly gay great-great-great-grandson of poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson, brings an honesty and sweetness to the role. Tennyson’s sensitivity and Teale’s gruffness are an interesting audible contrast and, even though we know what’s coming, they’ll still break your heart with their modern re-telling.
‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ by Choderlos de Laclos Donmar Cast
Audible cast includes Dominic West, Janet McTeer & Elaine Cassidy
A story of vengeance and seduction, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, explores the extreme machinations of former lovers, La Marquise de Merteuil and Le Vicomte de Valmont, in 18th century Paris.
I loved Christopher Hampton’s film of this novel, Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and so I was very disappointed when I did not manage to get tickets for a 2016 production at the absurdly small Donmar theatre. I did, however, manage to see the production via a live link up with a West End cinema and was left spellbound.
I don’t think West and McTeer could erase my memories of Glenn Close and John Malkovich from the film but they certainly made the roles their own and each actor is extremely accomplished in their own right. For me, West was particularly chilling in his BAFTA award-winning role of Fred West in Appropriate Adult, so I had some inkling that he would mine deep furrows in his portrayal of Valmont and he did not disappoint. McTeer also impresses as the Marquise, icily determined to win the battle of the sexes at all costs.
This presentation isn’t a live recording of the stage production but, instead, the Donmar actors, as the characters they portrayed, read the letters of which the original novel is composed. This means that you get a taste of the stage production, as well as the chance to become familiar with the book upon which the play, and Hampton’s film, were based.
‘Alien: Out of the Shadows’ by Tim Lebbon
Audible Cast includes Rutger Hauer, Matthew Lewis,Laurel Lefkow & Corey Johnson
You could be forgiven for thinking that Ellen Ripley (so memorably played by Sigourney Weaver in the Alien film series) had suffered her last battle with aliens but the joy of science fiction is that authors can keep dreaming up new ways to throw her back into their nest. Indeed, there is currently talk of disregarding the film, Alien 3, in order to create a new series of Ripley’s adventures. However, this Audible Original weaves a new tale between the first and second films (I know, you thought Ripley was safely in hyper sleep too, huh?).
I love the Alien films, so Alien: Out of the Shadows turned out to be a really fun addition to the film canon. Laurel Lefkow has the unenviable task of imitating Sigourney Weaver, as Ripley, but she makes a decent go of it, capturing some of Ripley’s sarcasm and grit. There’s some great audio design, which ably transports us into the claustrophobic but futuristic mine and it’s surprising how scary it is to hear the dreaded xenomorph slithering up behind you.
Plaudits are also due to the awesome Rutger Hauer for some creepy voice work, revealing the disturbing thoughts of the resurrected, psychotic android, Ash.
‘Lenny Henry in Othello’by William Shakespeare BBC
Audio Cast includes Lenny Henry & Conrad Nelson
A much-loved comedian, audiences were bowled over by Sir Lenny Henry’s stunning performance as Othello, which won him the Evening Standard’s Best Newcomer Award. Charles Spencer in The Daily Telegraph wrote that, ‘This is one of the most astonishing debuts in Shakespeare I have ever seen. It is impossible too praise too highly Henry’s courage in taking on so demanding and exposed a role, and the performing it with such authority and feeling’.
As the proud recipient of a MA in Classical Acting, I know just how tough it can be to breathe life into Shakespearean texts but I can only echo Spencer’s sentiments – Lenny Henry does an exceptional job here. I’ve not always been a fan of Barry Rutter’s ‘Northern Broadsides’ productions, they can be a little brash and lacking in subtlety for my taste but he’s coaxed a devilish Iago from Conrad Nelson and a must-hear performance from Sir Lenny. Enjoy!