Escape from Virtual Island

An Audio Comedy

By: John Lutz

Narrated by: Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer, Sue Galloway, Jane Krakowski, Jason Sudeikis, Seth Meyers, Kenan Thompson, Olivia Wilde, Rachel Dratch, Henry Winkler, full cast

Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

Looking for an escape from reality? Then look no further!

Escape from Virtual Island is an epic comedy adventure starring Paul Rudd, written by John Lutz of Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and 30 Rock, and produced by Broadway Video.

Rounding out the ensemble cast in this genre-hopping, madcap comedy are Emmy nominee Jack McBrayer, Wine Country and AP Bio’s Paula Pell, Late Night with Seth Meyers’ Amber Ruffin, and 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit.

The Audible Original also features the voice talents of Jason Sudeikis, Jane Krakowski, Olivia Wilde, Kenan Thompson, Seth Meyers, Rachel Dratch, Henry Winkler, and a host of other comedy favorites.

About the story:

In the year 2038, there’s only one destination that can play host to the world’s wealthiest adventure seekers: the Pengalaman Island Resort and Virtual Reality Theme Park. Located on a private South Pacific island, guests here live out their wildest fantasies in custom-made virtual reality simulations while also enjoying the usual amenities of an exclusive five-star getaway.

All is relatively breezy until famed billionaire and avid guest, Mr. Wagner (Sudeikis), goes missing within a virtual simulation. His only hope? A daring rescue led by Derek Ambrose (Rudd), the maladjusted heir to his mother’s resort empire, and his ragtag search party consisting of Faith (Ruffin), a tech-nerd extraordinaire (and naturally, his ex); Ramona Kurtz (Pell), the foul-mouthed head of island security; and Beasley (McBrayer), the resort’s lead concierge and Ambrose family confidant.

What ensues is a high-octane, comedy throwback filled with memorable performances throughout, and a reminder that real life can be the ultimate experience if you’re just willing to open your heart and dive in headfirst.

Please note: This content is not for kids. It is for mature audiences only. This audio comedy features adult language, sexual content, and virtually every innuendo you can literally imagine. Discretion is advised.

©2020 The Broadway Video Group, Inc. (P)2020 The Broadway Video Group, Inc.

Talented, but relied too heavily on one thing.

I hate it when talented comedy writers rely heavily upon sex jokes.
Wasted ability.
So clever and funny, but if humor relies on a suddenly perceived incongruity that is inescapably true....
And I think we can all agree on that.
Then why fall back on cheap shock value of endlessly breaking social taboos?
Not more than one joke in ten should be shock value of referring to sex only.
There's sooo much in life that is funny. Use other stuff too! Race. Politics. Men's and women's differences. Eating habits. Cultural stigmas. Aging stigmas. Personality differences.
Not just sexual incongruities. 🌻

Also, There's a thing called subtlety. Stopping just short of pointing out the sexual taboo, and letting the audience fill it in.
Could be better guys. Could be a lot better.
I was so shocked about sex over and over...I started to not find it funny anymore.

Story is a Bit Stupid

Obviously, 'Escape from Virtual Island' is voiced by some very talented people, so I won't waste any time talking about the various performances. Everyone was stellar and is probably why I listened to the whole thing.

I'm actually a fan of John Lutz. He wrote and acted in 30 Rock (my favorite show of all time), SNL, and various other shows. Surprisingly, this was probably the worst thing he's done that I've seen/listened to. The whole story was super boring and there was so much potential for this idea. I wanted to LOVE this, but I just can't... The pure predictability of the story line was something a child could figure out (although, this is definitely a Mature title).

I don't think I've ever given a book or Audible Original this bad of a grade, but I have to be honest; the story gets an F on my grading scale and the cast gets an A.

Just Not Good...

The cast is amazing, and I listened to the whole thing, hoping it would get better. It did not.

I may be the odd one out on this one, but I didn’t find it funny or well written. Too bad, great potential with such a great cast.

entertaining and very punny

one of the most entertaining stories I've heard in a long while. The whole cast was fantastic. I laughed and guffawed alot which felt good during this shelter in place.
Highly recommend if you enjoyed Airplane!, and Spaceballs type of humor or if you just love Paul Rudd.

Amazing Cast, Hilarious Story

This was such a fun and exciting Audible Original! Took so many twists and turns - like a action comedy movie for your ears. The cast was phenomenal and the production quality was A++!

Just too many corny puns and weirdness for me

I saw a pretty good review and a lot of big names involved in this production. It was, well for lack of a better term, dumb. I like Sci-Fi but this was inane. I was very disappointed. I did listen to the bitter end hoping it would get better, It didn't.

Waste of time and talent

The story did not make the best use of the talent available. I would skip it

A great use of a credit

I recommend this title. it was funny and creative. I usually don't enjoy full cast audiobooks but this one was wonderful.

Love It!!

Dear Audible:

More star-studded comedy audio series like this, please! This was so much fun. Jack McBrayer is always the best, and so is Paul Rudd. We need more comedy series like these if we're going to survive quarantine.

This is the kind of story we need right now.

Simple, fun, funny, and distracting. This is the kind of story we need right now,

loved it!

Really enjoyed the story and the performances. Will definitely be listening again soon! Get it!

Fantastic story and Paul rudd was great

I only listened to this for Paul rudd but I actually got invested in the story and characters I even cried towards the end and I was rooting for faith and derek the whole time. So yeah, I recommend it.

Westworld meets 30 Rock

Great voice performances from all star comedy cast. It's fun and easy to drift in and out of the story while driving.