STOCKHOLM

Neil Hellegers and Rebecca Stern bring this comic send-up of a caper story cleverly to life. The humor works. They deliver their lines with restraint, keep the protagonists' wildest ideas plausible through tone and tempo, and propel the comic proceedings, set in Tel Aviv, with the right cadence. They straightforwardly deliver the hijinks, crisp dialogue, and wild thinking. Both performers allow the central characters--four aging folks, two men and two women--to be absurd. The four are lifelong friends. The plot engages when their famed economist pal dies suddenly just before the announcement of the Nobel Prize, which he may win--if he's alive. They crazily agree to hide his death until after the announcement. A funny and entertaining listen. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2023]