STORIES FROM HANS ANDERSEN

Rushton's performance adds just the right amount of seasoning to this collection of classic tales. The tender-voiced little mermaid and the throaty, gruff sea witch produce a bittersweet quality for the listener. Rushton creates the same effect with an icy reading of the harsh elements that overwhelm the Little Match Girl. Equally as impressive are Rushton's vocal characterizations in the humorous, didactic tales. The exaggerated haughtiness of the royal characters in "The Pig Boy" and "The Emperor's New Clothes" are hilariously out of place when compared to the provincial accents of their subjects. All ages will devour this palatable retelling of Andersen's tales. M.P.T. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JAN 95]