FIFTH BUSINESS

The first novel in the now classic Depford Trilogy is about a murder examined from multiple perspectives. This is a reissue of the CBC's dramatization, which was first published in1980 after its critically acclaimed broadcast throughout Canada. Writer/director Ron Hartman, one of the CBC's finest audio dramatists, remains faithful to Robertson Davies's original story and language, but the personality is all his. Whereas Davies is gentle and humane, however violent and cruel his characters and incidents, Hartman is theatrical and unsparing. Lucia Agostini's lush musical score heavily punctuates the action, increasing the sense of melodrama and telegraphing the humor of the comic scenes. Accepted on its own terms, this is an excellent production, well acted if you make allowances for the child actors, and richly produced. A classic of the CBCschool of radio theater. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]