8

By: Dustin Lance Black

Narrated by: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, John C. Reilly, Jane Lynch

An unconstitutional proposition.
An unprecedented decision.
An all-star cast.

Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Martin Sheen, 8 is written by Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar) and directed by acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner.

The play is a powerful account of the case filed by the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) in the U.S. District Court in 2010 to overturn Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. Framed around the trial's historic closing arguments in June 2010, 8 provides an intimate look what unfolded when the issue of same-sex marriage was on trial.

A full-cast performance featuring:

George Clooney as David Boies
Brad Pitt as Chief Judge Vaughn Walker
Martin Sheen as Theodore B. Olson
Kevin Bacon as Charles Cooper
Jamie Lee Curtis as Sandy Stier
Christine Lahti as Kris Perry
John C. Reilly as David Blankenhorn
Jane Lynch as Maggie Gallagher
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Dr. Ilan Meyer
Matthew Morrison as Paul Katami
Chris Colfer as Ryan Kendall
Yeardley Smith as Dr. Nancy Cott
Matt Bomer as Jeff Zarrillo
George Takei as Dr. William Tam
Rory O’Malley as Dr. Gregory Herek
Cleve Jones as Evan Wolfson
James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Gary Segura
Jansen Panettiere as Elliott Perry
Bridger Zadina as Spencer Perry
Vanessa Garcia as Clerk
Campbell Brown as Broadcast Journalist

Directed by Rob Reiner. Recorded before a live audience at the Wilshire Ebell Theater, Los Angeles, on March 3, 2012.

©2012 L.A. Theatre Works (P)2012 L.A. Theatre Works

So Appropriate for today's headlines on Marriage

Since this issue is such a hot topic nationally, it seemed appropriate to listen to this play which recounts the final arguments over the validity of California's Proposition 8. This play seems much like what is going on right now in the Supreme Court deciding on whether the nation should embrace the right for LGBT community to have the same access to marriage that heterosexuals are allowed. I feel as if this play is a compelling listen to anyone whom is wanting to be informed of the struggle of gays and lesbians for equal rights. Kudos goes out to LA Theater Works and Audible for presenting this program.

Love the performers

This is a dramatization of some of the court transcripts from the California Prop 8 case that ultimately saw the demise of Prop 8's hate and illogic in favor of legalized gay marriage in California. The win doesn't mean that we've won everywhere, however, but the actors in this are having a great time performing all the different pro and con players in the case, and the audience loves it. This has great energy, humor, and moments of deep sorrow for those who have had to wait so long to finally be allowed to marry. But it also gives the rest of us hope who don't have marriage yet.

A Relevant (unfortunate) Time-Capsule

Would you consider the audio edition of 8 to be better than the print version?

An audio edition, such as this one, might be superior to a print edition but certainly wouldn't prove superior to a live night at the theatre.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Martin Sheen was -ON-FIRE-.

What aspect of the narrators’s performance would you have changed?

Pitt, Clooney, and Sheen stand out. Each member of the cast performed their individual roles well, but as an ensemble they fell flat. Sometimes very flat.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"A Dark Moment in Human History...Hopefully Behind Us Forever"

Any additional comments?

Dustin Lance Black is a name to look for .

Important Topic / Medium Questionable

Nothing bad to say about this read, but I found that the audiobook wasn't a great medium for it. Be wary of that and seek instead a live or visual performance, if available.

gives me hope for humanity!

this was so inspirational to listen to! The actual performance is quite short, only about half of the recording time. The rest is interviews with the cast, director and screenwriter, and lawyers involved in the actual case.
The only difficulty I had was sometimes to identify who was speaking. Not being a big movie fan, I do not immediately recognize the voices of the actors, even if they are big names. But with context I figured out what was happening.
I didn't follow along the Proposition 8 case as it happened, but after listening to this, I sure am following the developments now as the US heads towards another election.