DOT THE I & THE DOUBLE EXPERTISE

Both these one-act stage plays by the late French dramatist Gabriel Marcel are rarely performed. DOT THE I dolefully explores a ménage-à-trois among Parisian sophisticates. EXPERTISE comically deals with matchmaking among the smart set. The translator kicks off each play with an overlong exegesis, needlessly explaining not only the meaning of each work, but how we are to react to them. Urbane and very Gallic, the plays themselves were recorded binaurally, a kind of enhanced stereo, and are best heard through earphones; over speakers the actors sound distant. Struggling with awkward, academic translations, the otherwise fine cast suffers from a lack of spontaneity and can't quite connect with the humor of the second offering. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]