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King Lear
- Narrated by: Paul Scofield, Alec McCowen, Kenneth Branagh
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
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Publisher's summary
The tragedy of King Lear receives an outstanding performance in an all-star cast led by Britain’s senior classical actor, Paul Scofield. He is joined by Alec McCowen as Gloucester, Kenneth Branagh as The Fool, Harriet Walter as Gonerill, Sara Kestelman as Regan and Emilia Fox as Cordelia. This is the 9th recording of Shakespeare plays undertaken by Naxos AudioBooks in conjunction with Cambridge University Press, and is directed by John Tydeman. It was released to mark the 80th birthday of Paul Scofield in January 2002.
Featured Article: All the World's a Stage—The Best Shakespeare Plays in Audio
If there’s one writer whose work translates spectacularly to audio format, it’s the Bard. Hearing Shakespeare’s dialog masterfully performed by professionals with the correct emphasis and tone can make all the difference in catching every clever joke and innuendo, picking up on subtle foreshadowing, and sometimes even understanding the plot itself. Here are our choices for the best Shakespeare audiobooks to add to your library today.
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King Lear
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Performance
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This shattering drama of isolation and loss is one of the greatest tragedies in world literature. King Lear of Britain has three daughters: the hard-hearted Goneril and Regan, and the good and gentle Cordelia. He determines to divide his kingdom between them, giving the largest share to she who can say she loves him the best. Lear's tragic lack of judgment and self-knowledge is paralleled by the blindness of the loyal Gloucester who is persuaded to reject his virtuous son, Edgar, in favor of the villainous Edmund.
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tragedy par excellence
- By turbopro on 08-10-16
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The Tempest
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King Lear
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Experience King Lear as a powerful full-cast drama with entertaining and enlightening commentary that explains what's what and who's who as the plot unfolds. To help you get the most out of Shakespeare, the narrator offers historical insights and background information, so you can enjoy the jokes, appreciate the references, and get a real sense of Shakespeare's world.
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Great way to understand Shakespeare
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King Lear
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Overall
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Story
I am a man more sinned against than sinning.
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A true classic
- By Stanley Hauer on 07-09-08
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King Lear
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- Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
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Overall
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Some of the most stirring scenes Shakespeare ever wrote resonate powerfully in this dramatic radio production. Tortured madness, pure evil and the fatal struggle for power grip the listener until the final, shockingly tragic conclusion. Starring Corin Redgrave as King Lear, with Justine Waddell as Cordelia, Robert Glenister as Edgar, Geraldine James as Goneril and Kika Markham as Regan.
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A Double Tragedy
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The Merchant of Venice
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Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, agrees to lend Antonio, a Venetian merchant, three thousand ducats so that his friend Bassanio can afford to court his love, Portia. However, Shylock has one condition: Should the loan go unpaid, he will be entitled to a pound of Antonio's own flesh. Meanwhile in Belmont, according to the terms of her father's will, Portia's many suitors must choose correctly from three caskets. Bassanio arrives at Portia's estate and they declare their love for one another before he picks the correct casket.
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Great production, difficult play
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King Lear
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- Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This shattering drama of isolation and loss is one of the greatest tragedies in world literature. King Lear of Britain has three daughters: the hard-hearted Goneril and Regan, and the good and gentle Cordelia. He determines to divide his kingdom between them, giving the largest share to she who can say she loves him the best. Lear's tragic lack of judgment and self-knowledge is paralleled by the blindness of the loyal Gloucester who is persuaded to reject his virtuous son, Edgar, in favor of the villainous Edmund.
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tragedy par excellence
- By turbopro on 08-10-16
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The Tempest
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen, Emilia Fox, Scott Handy, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from his performance as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, is Prospero, and heads a strong cast in Shakespeare’s last great play. The wronged duke raises a tempest to shipwreck his old opponents on his island so that he can ensure justice is done. With Emilia Fox as Miranda, Scott Handy in the pivotal role of the sprite Ariel, and Ben Owukwe as Caliban.
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Gandalf is great
- By Justin on 11-10-15
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King Lear
- Shakespeare Appreciated: (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)
- By: William Shakespeare, Mike Reeves, Phil Viner
- Narrated by: Joan Walker, Terrence Hardiman, Lucy Robinson
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Experience King Lear as a powerful full-cast drama with entertaining and enlightening commentary that explains what's what and who's who as the plot unfolds. To help you get the most out of Shakespeare, the narrator offers historical insights and background information, so you can enjoy the jokes, appreciate the references, and get a real sense of Shakespeare's world.
-
-
Great way to understand Shakespeare
- By Irishclover on 04-23-10
By: William Shakespeare, and others
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King Lear
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Paul Scofield, Rachel Roberts, Cyryl Cusak, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I am a man more sinned against than sinning.
-
-
A true classic
- By Stanley Hauer on 07-09-08
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King Lear
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- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Corin Redgrave, Geraldine James, Full Cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Some of the most stirring scenes Shakespeare ever wrote resonate powerfully in this dramatic radio production. Tortured madness, pure evil and the fatal struggle for power grip the listener until the final, shockingly tragic conclusion. Starring Corin Redgrave as King Lear, with Justine Waddell as Cordelia, Robert Glenister as Edgar, Geraldine James as Goneril and Kika Markham as Regan.
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A Double Tragedy
- By M. W. Roberts on 02-11-10
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The Merchant of Venice
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Antony Sher
- Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, agrees to lend Antonio, a Venetian merchant, three thousand ducats so that his friend Bassanio can afford to court his love, Portia. However, Shylock has one condition: Should the loan go unpaid, he will be entitled to a pound of Antonio's own flesh. Meanwhile in Belmont, according to the terms of her father's will, Portia's many suitors must choose correctly from three caskets. Bassanio arrives at Portia's estate and they declare their love for one another before he picks the correct casket.
-
-
Great production, difficult play
- By Tad Davis on 08-31-09
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Othello: Fully Dramatized Audio Edition
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Othello, Shakespeare creates powerful drama from a marriage between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona. Shakespeare builds many differences into his hero and heroine, including race, age, and cultural background. Yet most audiences believe the couple’s strong love would overcome these differences were it not for Iago, who sets out to destroy Othello.
-
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Good cast
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Othello
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- Narrated by: Emma Fielding, Hugh Quarshie, Anton Lesser
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This widely studied play is one of the "best sellers" of the Shakespeare canon. This production is the sixth Shakespeare play in the series undertaken by Naxos AudioBooks in conjunction with Cambridge University Press.
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Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus
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The Merchant of Venice
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Hamlet, Shakespeare's most popular, and perhaps most puzzling play, follows the form of a "revenge tragedy", in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father’s murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties. This new full-cast recording - based on the most respected edition of Shakespeare's classic - expertly produced by the Folger Theatre, is perfect for students, teachers, and the everyday listener.
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-
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Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end
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Story
Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare’s most compelling Roman plays. The plot against Caesar and the infamous assassination scene make for unforgettable listening. Brutus, the true protagonist of the play, is mesmerizing in his psychological state of anguish, forced to choose between the bonds of friendship and his desire for patriotic justice.
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The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars
- By David on 04-05-14
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Macbeth: Fully Dramatized Audio Edition
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
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Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, is among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language. Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, Macbeth murders the king in order to succeed to the throne. Tortured by his conscience and fearful of discovery, he becomes fatally enmeshed in a web of treachery and deceit.
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excellent
- By Laura W. on 05-25-18
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Othello
- Arkangel Shakespeare
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Don Warrington, David Threlfall, Anne-Marie Duff, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Othello, a Moorish general in the service of Venice, has married Desdemona, beautiful daughter of a Venetian senator. But Iago, Othello's malignant ensign, is determined to destroy their happiness. Cunningly bending Othello to his own purposes, Iago persuades the Moor that Desdemona is unfaithful to him. Tormented in a hell of jealousy, Othello moves inexorably toward the destruction of his innocent wife and himself.
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Heartbreaking
- By Tad Davis on 02-17-17
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Romeo and Juliet
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen, Kate Beckinsale, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the full-cast production of Shakespeare's classic love story, fully dramatized from the complete text, and starring Michael Sheen as Romeo and Kate Beckinsale as Juliet.
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Great Language
- By Michael on 09-15-03
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Julius Caesar
- A Fully-Dramatized Audio Production From Folger Theatre
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
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The Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection, brings Julius Caesar to life with this new full-length, full-cast dramatic recording of its definitive Folger Edition.
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good play, difficult to distinguish characters
- By Christian R. Unger on 05-17-18
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Hamlet: The Arkangel Shakespeare
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale, Imogen Stubbs, Jane Lapotaire, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Distressed by his father's death and his mother's over-hasty remarriage, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is faced by a specter from beyond the grave bearing a grim message of murder and revenge. The young prince is driven to the edge of madness by his struggle to understand the situation he finds himself in and to do his duty. Many others, including Hamlet's beloved, the innocent Ophelia, are swept up in his tragedy.
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Excellent Presentation
- By L. Jay on 11-22-16
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Macbeth
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: James Marsters, Joanne Whalley, Josh Cooke, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Infamously known as the cursed Scottish play, Macbeth is perhaps Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy. When General Macbeth is foretold by three witches that he will one day be King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth convinces him to get rid of anyone who could stand in his way – including committing regicide. As Macbeth ascends to the throne through bloody murder, he becomes a tyrant consumed by fear and paranoia.
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Might want to Read Along
- By Syd Young on 02-03-14
What listeners say about King Lear
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- D. A. Elliott
- 11-25-19
Ripeness is all…
To any who listen to this tale, who hear it deep in their hearts, I sincerely wish the courage necessary to bear it well. Linger with the language and make good use of the ability to back up and hear a line, a scene, again. The play is difficult to hear, difficult to see, and I am amazed to imagine how difficult to write.
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- Darwin8u
- 11-01-17
This cold night will turn us all to fools & madmen
I think it was necessary for me to re-discover this when Trump is president. I might just need to read it every year until 2021. Anyway, I'm not done with this review, but need to sit in the rain a bit and think about it. Push my toes into the mud and think about mortality a bit. It certainly isn't a play I would have related to well in my twenties or even thirties, but as my parents age and as I age myself, I see the shadows of mortality approach. The certainty of youth, and the boldness of decades past are now gone. Replaced with, not madness no, an ache in the brain and those vain whispers that promise all is not lost and everything lasts.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Hardin
- 11-25-11
An Adult Opportunity
Great to hear as a middle adult with aging parents and young adult children. What is the legacy of care that we want to leave? I am working on reading and listening to literature that we read as adolescents and young adults which were really meant for a later stage of emotional and intellectual development. This was a good one. Les Miserable, unabridged, was another.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Dr. Kevin Lancer
- 05-18-14
Good but volume kept changing
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
no. Too difficut to follow the charactors
Which scene was your favorite?
I liked the sound effects.
Any additional comments?
The voices volume kept changing so It was difficult to keep listening.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-28-19
Sublime!
Scofield is an eminent King Lear. King Lear is a great play - still relevant in the world of today. There is deep meaning in the interplay between madness and sanity. We live in a strange world where sanity is under pressure by unrealistic expectations - and Lear shows us how destructive this power is.
Please enjoy and learn.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Denise Longo
- 01-13-16
Scofield is legenday!
Excellent sound quality and great acting. Well worth it! They cut the trial scene in act three scene six, so that was a little disappointing but otherwise great production.
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- M. Y. L.
- 07-19-15
Annoying
I suffered through the whole book, but found myself annoyed by the performances, especially the king who would let out the most annoying moans and screams at a volume that was jarring and disruptive. What might work on the stage did does not necessarily work for an audio book.
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- zachary
- 03-01-14
No life in this Lear.
What disappointed you about King Lear?
Any production of the play King Lear is anchored in the performance of Lear, and in this production I found the brilliant actor, Paul Scoffield's Lear to be lacking. I have listened many times to the Arkangel version with Trevor Peacock and is greatly more taking and engaging, as he plays Lear with some fire.
Paul Scoffield is a great actor and has done some great Lear's but this I fear this is not one of them. (There is a hard to get movie that he made which I found to be quite engaging (youtube)). In this audio-production, he has not life, no animation. In the opening scenes when Lear is throwing a tantrum, Scoffield's Lear barely raised his voice. It is if he was just mouthing the words.
The other characters that make the play are Lord and servant Kent as well as The Fool. In this production the character who plays Kent is good, but once again lacks the fire of the performance by Anton Lesser in the Arkangel production.
The actors who play Lear's daughters do a good job and it is interesting to hear the different take they give the parts than their counter parts with the Arkangel production. Both I find equally engaging though they are different interpretations of the characters.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Kent is one of the most engaging and interesting characters outside of Lear.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?
Trevor Peacock as Lear.
What character would you cut from King Lear?
what kind of question is this? Shakespeare wrote the play with the characters it has, and none seemed superfluous. Why would one want to take a character out. It would be a different story then.
Any additional comments?
Each production of Shakespeare's play is an interpretation and the success lies with the actors and their performance. Not every production is guaranteed to be good, even if it has a giant of acting such as Paul Scoffield. One must I think listen to more than one version to get a real feel for the play.
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- Joseph Scarnici
- 01-06-13
Horribly read
I was excited to get the story of King Lear but this sounds like it was recorded from the audience of a play. The voices were too many and I just couldn't follow it because of the hushed tones and bad audio.
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- Charlotte Aycock Mchale
- 11-06-18
Not the Full, Unabridged Version
I got all the way to Act IV before this version left out an entire scene.
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5 people found this helpful