GAUDY NIGHT

Sprightly 1920s' dance music introduces this dramatization of Sayers's classic, in which Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey finally kiss while solving a mystery at Harriet's Oxford college reunion. In order to fit a long book into a two-hour dramatization, producers chose to intersperse dramatized dialogue and sound effects such as church bells and running feet into a story that is mostly narrated by Harriet Vane. Joanna David reads beautifully, and her warm, cultured voice and wry tone are perfect for the careful, ironical Harriet. Ian Carmichael, who played Lord Peter on BBC Television for years, nicely combines an aristocratic lisp with audible street smarts. A pleasant production, although Sayers lovers will wish it were longer. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]