-
Photograph 51
- Narrated by: Anna Chlumsky, Omar Metwally, Benjamin Rosenfield, Stephen Kunken, David Corenswet, Aasif Mandvi
- Length: 2 hrs and 1 min
- Performance
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Drama & Plays
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $7.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
In 1951, chemist Rosalind Franklin (Anna Chlumsky) works relentlessly in her King’s College London lab, closing in on a major discovery that could unlock the mysteries of the DNA molecule. Undermined by her colleague Maurice Wilkins (Omar Metwally), she struggles to compete with rival team Watson and Crick (David Corenswet and Aasif Mandvi) as pressure intensifies to produce results.
Following a critically acclaimed run in London, Anna Ziegler’s play is brought to life in a new production directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman, honoring the monumental contribution of one scientist with two X chromosomes whom history nearly left behind.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
A Streetcar Named Desire
- By: Tennessee Williams
- Narrated by: Carla Gugino, Audra McDonald
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Emmy, Grammy, and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Blanche DuBois alongside Carla Gugino as Stella, O’Hara takes a fresh and visceral look at the emotionally charged relationship between these two iconic sisters. Haunted by her past, Blanche seeks refuge with Stella and Stanley (Ariel Shafir) in New Orleans, where she wrestles with the nature of her sister’s husband, her sister’s denial, and her own unraveling mind.
-
-
Classic With Fresh Insight
- By T. B. Shafir on 12-04-20
-
Animals
- By: Stacy Osei-Kuffour
- Narrated by: William Jackson Harper, Jason Butler Harner, Madeline Brewer, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lydia (Aja Naomi King) and Henry (Jason Butler Harner)’s dinner guests (Madeline Brewer and William Jackson Harper) are about to arrive when Henry’s spontaneous marriage proposal threatens to burn the evening to a crisp. Wine bottles and years of unspoken tensions are uncorked, and before the evening is through, Lydia must confront her long-held fears and feelings if she’s going to commit to a future with Henry.
-
-
So much swearing!!!
- By Yinglan on 12-18-20
-
Driving Miss Daisy
- By: Alfred Uhry
- Narrated by: Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones, Boyd Gaines
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two giants of the theater, five-time Tony Award® winner Angela Lansbury and three-time Tony Award winner James Earl Jones, star in 1988’s Pulitzer Prize-winner for Drama. Driving Miss Daisy is Alfred Uhry’s tale that follows the complicated friendship between a feisty Jewish widow and her Black chauffeur in mid-century Atlanta over the course of 20 years.
-
-
Just as good as the Broadway play!
- By Shanti on 09-18-20
By: Alfred Uhry
-
Alexa, Why Can't You Love Me?
- By: David Rossmer
- Narrated by: Judd Hirsch, Maria Dizzia, Lizan Mitchell
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After 40 years with his beloved wife, Henry is alone for the first time. His sudden bachelorhood is a struggle for him and his daughter Lisa, who is feeling pressure to fill the void. To give Henry the companionship he’s craving, Lisa buys him a personal robotic assistant. The device transforms Henry’s life and inspires him to embrace the possibility of romance during his golden years.
-
-
Touché- You Touched A Spot That Found My Soul
- By William on 11-13-20
By: David Rossmer
-
Paradise Blue
- By: Dominique Morisseau
- Narrated by: Simone Missick, Andre Holland, Kristolyn Lloyd, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1949 in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood, and there’s no better place to hear or play jazz than Paradise Club. Blue (Emmy and Grammy Award winner Blair Underwood), club owner and trumpeter, can wail like no other, but as forces outside the club conspire to irreparably change life inside and outside Paradise’s walls, he must decide whether to stay or sell. Beholden to his girlfriend (Grammy Award winner Kristolyn Lloyd) and fellow bandmates (André Holland and Keith Randolph Smith), Blue faces an uncertain future as he reckons with his troubled past.
-
-
BRAVO BRAVO
- By Savvy Super Shopper on 03-26-21
-
The Sound Inside
- By: Adam Rapp
- Narrated by: Mary-Louise Parker, Will Hochman
- Length: 1 hr and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Sound Inside follows Bella Baird, an accomplished English professor at an Ivy League university who prizes her solitude. But when she faces a challenge she cannot tackle alone, she allies herself with a brilliant and mysterious student, Christopher.
-
-
Not sure if this is as great as people think..
- By cthomas on 03-25-21
By: Adam Rapp
-
A Streetcar Named Desire
- By: Tennessee Williams
- Narrated by: Carla Gugino, Audra McDonald
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Emmy, Grammy, and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Blanche DuBois alongside Carla Gugino as Stella, O’Hara takes a fresh and visceral look at the emotionally charged relationship between these two iconic sisters. Haunted by her past, Blanche seeks refuge with Stella and Stanley (Ariel Shafir) in New Orleans, where she wrestles with the nature of her sister’s husband, her sister’s denial, and her own unraveling mind.
-
-
Classic With Fresh Insight
- By T. B. Shafir on 12-04-20
-
Animals
- By: Stacy Osei-Kuffour
- Narrated by: William Jackson Harper, Jason Butler Harner, Madeline Brewer, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lydia (Aja Naomi King) and Henry (Jason Butler Harner)’s dinner guests (Madeline Brewer and William Jackson Harper) are about to arrive when Henry’s spontaneous marriage proposal threatens to burn the evening to a crisp. Wine bottles and years of unspoken tensions are uncorked, and before the evening is through, Lydia must confront her long-held fears and feelings if she’s going to commit to a future with Henry.
-
-
So much swearing!!!
- By Yinglan on 12-18-20
-
Driving Miss Daisy
- By: Alfred Uhry
- Narrated by: Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones, Boyd Gaines
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two giants of the theater, five-time Tony Award® winner Angela Lansbury and three-time Tony Award winner James Earl Jones, star in 1988’s Pulitzer Prize-winner for Drama. Driving Miss Daisy is Alfred Uhry’s tale that follows the complicated friendship between a feisty Jewish widow and her Black chauffeur in mid-century Atlanta over the course of 20 years.
-
-
Just as good as the Broadway play!
- By Shanti on 09-18-20
By: Alfred Uhry
-
Alexa, Why Can't You Love Me?
- By: David Rossmer
- Narrated by: Judd Hirsch, Maria Dizzia, Lizan Mitchell
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After 40 years with his beloved wife, Henry is alone for the first time. His sudden bachelorhood is a struggle for him and his daughter Lisa, who is feeling pressure to fill the void. To give Henry the companionship he’s craving, Lisa buys him a personal robotic assistant. The device transforms Henry’s life and inspires him to embrace the possibility of romance during his golden years.
-
-
Touché- You Touched A Spot That Found My Soul
- By William on 11-13-20
By: David Rossmer
-
Paradise Blue
- By: Dominique Morisseau
- Narrated by: Simone Missick, Andre Holland, Kristolyn Lloyd, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1949 in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood, and there’s no better place to hear or play jazz than Paradise Club. Blue (Emmy and Grammy Award winner Blair Underwood), club owner and trumpeter, can wail like no other, but as forces outside the club conspire to irreparably change life inside and outside Paradise’s walls, he must decide whether to stay or sell. Beholden to his girlfriend (Grammy Award winner Kristolyn Lloyd) and fellow bandmates (André Holland and Keith Randolph Smith), Blue faces an uncertain future as he reckons with his troubled past.
-
-
BRAVO BRAVO
- By Savvy Super Shopper on 03-26-21
-
The Sound Inside
- By: Adam Rapp
- Narrated by: Mary-Louise Parker, Will Hochman
- Length: 1 hr and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Sound Inside follows Bella Baird, an accomplished English professor at an Ivy League university who prizes her solitude. But when she faces a challenge she cannot tackle alone, she allies herself with a brilliant and mysterious student, Christopher.
-
-
Not sure if this is as great as people think..
- By cthomas on 03-25-21
By: Adam Rapp
-
Dan Rather: Stories of a Lifetime
- By: Dan Rather
- Narrated by: Dan Rather
- Length: 1 hr and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emmy Award winner and former CBS News anchor Dan Rather brings his unforgettable staged performance, Stories of a Lifetime, to the Minetta Lane Theatre, where it will be recorded live for Audible Theater. In this deeply personal show, the legendary Peabody Award-winning journalist takes audiences through the most pivotal moments of his life, from surviving a debilitating illness as a child in Depression-era Texas to covering monumental moments in American history such as the Civil Rights movement, the assassination of JFK, and Watergate.
-
-
Too Political
- By JAV on 08-07-20
By: Dan Rather
-
Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club
- By: Shakina Nayfack
- Narrated by: Shakina Nayfack, Kate Bornstein, Annie Golden, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this world premiere play, written by and featuring Shakina Nayfack, a vibrant, international group of transgender women band together at a hotel in Thailand to confront the challenges and joys of gender confirmation surgery. Despite the group’s warm welcome, Kina (Nayfack) prepares for her life-altering operation all alone. But a caring nurse (Ivory Aquino), a wise couple (Kate Bornstein and Annie Golden), and a karaoke-loving bellhop (Telly Leung) may be exactly who she needs to ignite her truest sense of self.
-
-
Moving, funny, real, important
- By Christopher V. on 12-30-20
By: Shakina Nayfack
-
Row
- By: Daniel Goldstein, Dawn Landes
- Narrated by: Grace McLean, John McGinty, Kerstin Anderson, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tori (Grace McLean) aims to be the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic. As a child, she raised her younger brother Lamar (John McGinty), defending him against discrimination and neighborhood bullies. Now, with nothing but her body and a hand-built boat, she squares off with her own tormentor: the ocean.
-
-
Wonderful experience
- By Carol O. on 04-10-21
By: Daniel Goldstein, and others
-
The Hunger Games: Special Edition
- By: Suzanne Collins
- Narrated by: Tatiana Maslany
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emmy Award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany narrates a brand-new special edition recording of the first audiobook in the worldwide best-selling trilogy from Suzanne Collins! In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by 12 outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
-
-
same great book but the performance.
- By Lavin214 on 08-28-19
By: Suzanne Collins
-
Homeland Elegies
- A Novel
- By: Ayad Akhtar
- Narrated by: Ayad Akhtar
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams, Homeland Elegies blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel, at its heart it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home.
-
-
a mishmash of political theory and porn
- By LC on 02-06-21
By: Ayad Akhtar
-
Alan Cumming: Legal Immigrant
- By: Alan Cumming
- Narrated by: Alan Cumming
- Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legal Immigrant is Alan Cumming's collection of musings on his experiences as a US citizen, growing older, and what it feels like to be an immigrant in today's America, featuring songs and stories that are as eclectic and idiosyncratic as Alan himself. The audio, recorded live at the Minetta Lane Theatre, is a smorgasbord of genres, styles, and tales. Replete with laughter, tears and, of course, provocation, featuring covers of songs made famous by a diverse array of musical legends.
-
-
Get it. Get it.
- By Yael Ernst on 11-21-19
By: Alan Cumming
-
Wintering
- The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
- By: Katherine May
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lee
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a breakup, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times.
-
-
I look forward to my next time of Wintering!
- By bgilmore on 01-12-21
By: Katherine May
-
Gone with the Wind
- By: Margaret Mitchell
- Narrated by: Linda Stephens
- Length: 49 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, Margaret Mitchell's great novel of the South is one of the most popular books ever written. Within six months of its publication in 1936, Gone With the Wind had sold a million copies. To date, it has been translated into 25 languages, and more than 28 million copies have been sold. Here are the characters that have become symbols of passion and desire....
-
-
not to miss audible experience
- By dallas on 12-08-09
-
Jane Eyre
- By: Charlotte Brontë
- Narrated by: Thandiwe Newton
- Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Following Jane from her childhood as an orphan in Northern England through her experience as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic is an early exploration of women's independence in the mid-19th century and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. At Thornfield, Jane meets the complex and mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she shares a complicated relationship that ultimately forces her to reconcile the conflicting passions of romantic love and religious piety.
-
-
Thandie Newton is INCREDIBLE!
- By Andrea Frazee on 10-31-16
By: Charlotte Brontë
-
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- A Novel
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated.
-
-
I’m not crying, you’re crying
- By bridget on 07-16-18
-
The Handmaid's Tale
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Claire Danes
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a staged terrorist attack kills the President and most of Congress, the government is deposed and taken over by the oppressive and all-controlling Republic of Gilead. Offred is a Handmaid serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name.
-
-
Ridiculously stupid & gloomy
- By CW in ATX on 02-20-20
By: Margaret Atwood
-
Shogun
- The Epic Novel of Japan: The Asian Saga, Book 1
- By: James Clavell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 53 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A bold English adventurer; an invincible Japanese warlord; a beautiful woman torn between two ways of life, two ways of love - all brought together in an extraordinary saga of a time and a place aflame with conflict, passion, ambition, lust, and the struggle for power.
-
-
amazingly well done!
- By Ruby Dickson on 04-24-15
By: James Clavell
Go Behind the Scenes of
Photograph 51

About the Creator

About the Director
Audible Questionnaire with Anna Chlumsky
Audible Originals
We’re raising the bar on audio entertainment with these original listens produced in the Audible studios.



Williamstown Theatre Festival
The WTF Season on Audible has been made with the spirit of invention, which has long been a hallmark of the Festival.



Audible Theater
With extraordinary performances, live stagings, and new voices, we're redefining theatrical storytelling.



What listeners say about Photograph 51
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- V. Bolling
- 12-25-20
Riveting
I don’t often use the word riveting but it certainly describes this production. I love that Audible is offering such great work. The actors are amazing. The writing is so good. Listening to it brought the characters to life. The actors couldn’t have been more perfect for this. Funny, informative and sad, Photograph 51 is one of the best productions Audible has produced. I hope they consider doing more like it.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Angela D. Cupit
- 12-15-20
worth every minute
this is simply exquisite! (and i learned now how to spell that word just for this)
poetic theater, heart meets head and there's no going back. enjoy :)
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Greg Connell
- 03-05-21
Not what I expected.
When I first realized I wanted to post a review I thought no, this is something from the 50's and all these characters are probably gone by now. Not true, this was done recently as I only learned listening to the interview. So I just want to let the writer and characters in on how so real in my mind it was. How did you make it feel as if I was back in time? I will be glad if everyone gets my bravo for entertaining me through several lunch breaks. If people would just listen to the small voices in their heads. Sadness, regrets, lost love. I will have to listen again soon. Loved it. Thank you.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- B. Orenstein
- 03-02-21
Time well spent
This is a fascinating story and gave proper credit to Rosalind Franklin’s incredible contributions to the understanding of DNA. The writing, production and actors were excellent.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- debaney
- 12-14-20
Unveiling the Helix - In Collaboration and Isolation
Beautifully written about classical themes - left me in tears and thoughtful. Not offensive in its portrayal of the human challenges in those who triumphed in science through intentioned and accidental efforts. Unveiling the very human
story behind the discovery of the shapes of DNA with all its social and personal nuances.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lisa Davidson
- 02-05-22
Another Brilliant Woman Neglected by History
This lyrical play hit me hard! I first studied DNA in the 70's, at the same time that the boys kept locking me out of the computer lab and boys would not be seen socially with the future female valedictorian. In many ways, despite the progress women have fought so hard for, the essential inequalities remain: we still are judged by our looks over our brains, men still take credit for our work, and our apparent "value" diminishes the older we get. This beautiful drama made me rage and made me cry. Why wasn't Dr. Rosalind Franklin also awarded the Nobel prize? Just a week ago, a beautiful talented woman jumped 29 floors to her death because she felt that her life was over after 30. What kind of culture continues to allow these crimes of bullying, shunning, and despair? I think everyone will find new discoveries and questions as they listen to this extraordinary play.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wendy
- 03-11-21
A treat and an education.
What a pleasure to hear this well done play as
an audiobook. It is beautifully done and contains excellent character studies with development. I highly recommend this bonus treat!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MomTeacher
- 01-30-21
Loved the story; loved the style
I didn't know anything about Rosalind Franklin and now I can't get enough of learning about her.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rayman
- 12-29-20
It made me cry
OMG
I did not expect the end. I won’t say more.
Enjoy & be patient.
Excellent
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pullman Mary
- 02-21-22
Unexpected and wonderful
So well done; an important story with outstanding acting. A peek at an area of science that is within many of our lifetimes. And such humanity….
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Norma Miles
- 04-18-22
"We're here to start again."
"We're here to start again."
This is an Audible Original recording of the two hour play performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, with various actors including Anna Chiumsky as Rosalind Franklin.
Franklin died, aged only 37, from ovarian cancer. Her brilliantly innovative photography was central to the modelling of the double helix, deciphering the structure of DNA, in the mid twentieth century. Yet she received no recognition for this when the Nobel prize were handed out - she was, after all, just a woman.
I confess I knew nothing about Franklin before this play - a huge indictment in itself - so I cannot tell if the events portrayed are accurate. She seemed to be a character consumed, uneasy with others, a difficult woman to like but who, through her dedication to her work, enabled colleagues to discover the secret of life. The actors were good, voices distinctive. I feel now that I would like to learn more about Rosalind Franklin.
Available to download for free on the Audible Plus programme.
1 person found this helpful