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Harry Clarke
- With Bonus Performance: Lillian
- Narrated by: Billy Crudup, David Cale
- Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
- Performance
- Release date: 01-23-18
- Language: English
- Publisher: Audible Studios
Regular price: $29.95
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Publisher's Summary
A sexually charged and wickedly funny thriller starring Tony Award-winning actor Billy Crudup, Harry Clarke is the story of a shy Midwestern man leading an outrageous double life as the titular cocky Londoner. Moving to New York City and presenting himself as an Englishman, he charms his way into a wealthy family's life as the seductive and precocious Harry, whose increasingly risky and dangerous behavior threatens to undo more than his persona.
Included with your purchase:
- Harry Clarke, performed by Billy Crudup
- An introduction to and performance of Lillian, an Obie Award-winning play written and performed by David Cale
- An exclusive, behind-the-scenes conversation with Harry Clarke director, Leigh Silverman, and David Cale
- A post-show discussion with Billy Crudup, David Cale, Leigh Silverman, and Vineyard Theatre Artistic Director Sarah Stern.
Harry Clarke was originally produced by the Vineyard Theatre, in association with Audible, in New York in 2017. In a rave review of the stage production, The New York Times hails Crudup's performance as "a sly role terrifically suited to his gifts." And The Hollywood Reporter praised Crudup's "tour-de-force performance; effortlessly delineating his multiple characters, switching accents at the drop of a hat."
Critic Reviews
"One of the meta-delights of Harry Clarke is the way it applies the idea of performance to regular life. As Harry proves, we're all actors, working with whatever rickety materials we've got. If only we were all as good at impersonation as he and Mr. Crudup are, we might even be happy." (The New York Times)
"David Cale is a mischievous, deft and engaging storyteller." (Variety)
“Lillian is a luminous embodiment of the ineffable in life, a reminder that even the most mundane existence is shaped by currents beyond comprehension.” (The New York Times)
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars57
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4 Stars19
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3 Stars10
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2 Stars3
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1 Stars7
Performance
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars75
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4 Stars10
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3 Stars2
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2 Stars3
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1 Stars2
Story
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars49
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4 Stars24
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3 Stars12
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2 Stars2
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1 Stars6
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Linda R. Harrington
- 04-14-18
Live Theater at Home
I returned to Audible when I learned that live theatrical performances had been added to its selection list. This play is wonderful. The chat with the writer/director/actor is a special bonus. So happy that this great production has been captured and preserved.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anthony
- 01-23-18
Excellent!
Yes! Yes! Yes! This was a fantastic production! Having seen this at the Vineyard Theater, I was truly looking forward to the audio edition. Billy Crudup’s performance was nothing short of amazing! The bonus story of Lillian was also a nice surprise! Bravo!
26 of 29 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rachel H.
- 02-08-18
Virtuosic!
Crudup is incredible (so many voice switches, all effortless feeling), but I loved David Cale performing Lillian even more - the story and the writing feel a bit subtler and more real. Definitely worth listening to. The hours in the cold wet subway were swooshed away. :)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KK
- 01-25-18
Perfection.
Absolutely amazing. So glad I was able to see this live. The recording lives up to the live performance. Highly suggest. I have always loved Billy Crudup, but have such a different level of respect for him after seeing/hearing Harry Clarke.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patrice
- 01-26-18
WOW!!!!!
Billy C is amazingly! This was well worth the Audible price; which was a bit too expensive. I’m so glad I splurged. Thank you Billy.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-06-18
Crudup is an impressive storyteller
It's one thing to be an actor, but it's entirely another to be a storyteller and rapidly oscillate between characters, voices, and scenes all by yourself. Really enjoyable for this theater fan!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- acetylcolleen
- 03-01-18
Short but brilliant
What did you love best about Harry Clarke?
The story was fantastic. It kept me interested and I haven't stopped thinking about it for days.
Any additional comments?
The story was actually only about an hour. I had this ready for a 3-hour car drive so I was disappointed it didn't las the full time. Hard to pay $15 for one hour...
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Owen Kimball
- 08-06-18
Harry Clarke review
Interesting story & plot that kept me enthralled
Excellent performance by Billy Crudup
Overall a very good listen
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CVBullen
- New Bern, NC
- 07-07-18
Great concept
To hear the play as a recording was wonderful. Billy Crudup was perfect. Then the additional play Lilian done by the author - also fantastic. Finally the discussion afterwards brought new dimension to the production. I just loved it all
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Denise Neri
- CERRITOS, CA, US
- 04-23-18
exillerating
brilliant multi-dimmensional performance has you hanging on every word and sweeps you far far away!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nigel
- 01-25-18
Won't be everyone's cup of tea
There’s going to be strong opinions on this release - expect mostly negative - and after the first few minutes I too thought ‘oh my this is going to be bad?’, but persevered and was glad I did. Both monologues are well written, the issue for me is in their delivery.
Harry Clarke, 75 minutes
David Cale, a British born playwright originally wrote Harry Clarke to perform himself, though for the New York stage production Billy Crudup plays the titular role. Harry Clarke is the alter-ego of an American man, Philip Brugglestein, who believes that he feels more comfortable with an English accent. The character has a certain resemblance to Patricia Highsmith’s ‘Tom Ripley’ [The talented Mr Ripley].
The problem is with the strong opening statement “I could always do an immaculate English accent”. For an American audience Billy's impersonation is probably quite authentic, though for an English ear it sounds a bit odd - have a listen to the sample. For the first 10 minutes I was really not sure, but if you forgive him his questionable accent he does a mighty fine job in bringing the story to life.
Lillian, 62 minutes including short introduction
Lillian, a female role, is performed by the writer himself. I'm really not sure whether this is totally brilliant, due to its insanity, or just a bit odd. Never heard anything like it before, but the more I listened, the more it grew on me. Though am still conflicted whether it would have improved the recording by having a woman playing the part. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy monologues/ experimental theatre give it a try.
Plus behind the scenes interviews, 55 minutes
1 of 1 people found this review helpful