ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN

The House Un-American Activities Committee of the 1950’s returns to our lives by way of a superb production by L.A. Theatre Works. The drama is based on the actual testimony of several blacklisted members of the entertainment community. The cast of 18 actors painfully recounts the loss of livelihood and liberty encountered by the victims of the inquisitional legislators. The interplay of speakers with background voices makes the piece imminent, frightening and sad--as one remembers that this, too, was America. Harris Yulin as Lionel Sanders makes us feel frustration. James Earl Jones as Paul Robeson clarifies the indignities that Robeson suffered for his humanity. This is an important work, which stays in the mind long after the gavel sounds. J.P. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 98]