Babbitt (Dramatized)

By: Sinclair Lewis

Narrated by: Ed Asner, Ed Begley Jr., Ted Danson, Richard Dreyfus, Hector Elizondo, Stacy Keach, Helen Hunt

This epic of the booming 20's captures the relentless culture of American business. A classic novel about conformity in small town America - celebrated for its comic tone, statire, and vivid dialogue.

L.A. Theatre Works, then a fledgling radio theatre company, completed Babbitt in 1989. This production was so well received that L.A. Theatre Works has since become the world's premiere radio theatre company.

Ed Asner as Babbitt leads this all star cast, which includes Ted Danson, Marsha Mason, Helen Hunt, John Lithgow, Stacy Keach, Richard Dreyfuss, Amy Irving, Ally Sheedy and many more. Babbitt was previously unreleased on CD and digital formats.

Public Domain (P)2008 L.A. Theatre Works

Great theatre for the ears!

Where does Babbitt (Dramatized) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Although the performance was stellar, I didn't like the principle characters, so can't rate this very well against others I've read where I liked many of the characters. It was great hearing so many movie and TV stars before they became stars.

Would you recommend Babbitt (Dramatized) to your friends? Why or why not?

No, for the reason stated above

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Since this is really a performance, with many actors, it was much easier to tell who was speaking than it would be when reading the book. But it's not a play. The whole book is read, by the actors, who alternately narrate, and speak all dialogue text.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

If I'd chosen to read the book, I wouldn't have made it halfway. It was the performances that kept me listening. I chose this book because it had been my ex-husband's favorite book in the mid-sixties, and I'd never read Sinclair Lewis at all. It probably captures its era beautifully, as it's a classic, but times (thankfully) have changed so much!

Well Done All Around

While I would have preferred the introductions to each segment to have been edited out for a more seamless listening experience, the performances themselves were mostly very well done. I had not read Babbitt before, and the parallels between what the characters were saying and doing in 1920 and what people are saying and doing today are uncanny.

A nice change of pace

The LA Theatre version was a nice change of pace from straight audiobooks, and the cast was awesome.

Unlike another reviewer, I did not mind the introductory material on each segment; I thought it was helpful.

I had read Babbit in college, but remembered only a caricature. This gave me the opportunity to "reread" the book from a different point in life.

A great way to revisit this classic

Where does Babbitt (Dramatized) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Low among the high rank.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ed Asner as Babbitt, naturally

Which scene was your favorite?

I like the fishing expedition. The men insist on getting away from their wives to rough it, only to be taken down a peg by the local guide.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a bit, and sympathized too with the put-upon characters. Lewis set them up for a fall, but he did, I hope, have some of a heart for the citizens of Zenith under his barbs and their babble.

Any additional comments?

This story is relevant today, a century later. Every preacher, motivational speaker, "multi-level marketer," and start-up go getter has a streak of the protagonist and his cronies in him or her.

Asner is superb as Babbit

Ed Asner is superb as the bombastic booster experiencing a mid-life crisis (before the term had been invented) in this engaging dramatized reading of Lewis' now neglected gem of a novel. American inter-war modernism at its best.