OBSESSION

As Trey Hawthorne, Duke of Salterdon, begins his wedding vows to the pregnant Lady Edwina, an old crone interrupts the ceremony to inform him of the whereabouts of his long-lost love. As Richard Matthews drags us through the muck of insanity, self-pity, alcoholism, martyrdom, self-discovery, and treachery, he imbues the diverse characters with every nuance of shallow realism called for in the text. Where the plot teeters on the brink of the ridiculous, Matthews snatches it back to the safety of entertaining, if never believable, romance. Non-British listeners will not recognize the several dialects he employs, though they remain consistent throughout. Sutcliffe fans will appreciate a spirited performance. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]