SHADOWPLAY

Joseph O'Connor's graceful, insightful writing is immediately apparent, thanks to Barry McGovern's and Anna Chancellor's outstanding performances. McGovern delivers an acting tour de force, highlighting both the dark underbelly of Victorian London as well as the frequently scratchy, often tender relationship between eccentric, egotistical, world-famous actor Henry Irving and the manager of Irving's famed Lyceum Theatre, the soon-to-be famous author (in his pre-Dracula years) Bram Stoker. Both men's lives circle around an internationally renowned actress of the period, Ellen Terry. Chancellor's lush voice credibly presents Terry's letters, offering clear-eyed assessments of events, as well as her sharp-edged nastiness and witty, affectionate comments. With a firm grip on the theater scene of the 1870s and '80s, O'Connor's engrossing story is wonderfully well served by two superb narrators. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]