GOD IN SANDALS

Mark Rosenwinkel's delivery is strongest when he's reading lines from the Bible, or lines that echo those rhythms. Then his voice has a powerful cadence. Sadly, the rest of the time his delivery matches the material from the book, in which the characters sound the same, the dialogue is wooden, and the prose is flat and overdone. Only Satan's hissing malevolence can really be distinguished from the rest of the work. As for the story itself, it’s surprising at times. The choices Montreuil made in dramatizing the life of Jesus may put off some listeners, especially in the way she characterizes battles in the spiritual realm. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]