THE ALPHABET SISTERS

Following a three-year separation, the three Quinlan sisters reunite to discover that families can be counted on when the going gets tough. In their South Australian town, self-assured Anna, self-conscious Bett, and self-absorbed Carrie are brought together by their utterly charming but conniving Irish grandmother. She is intent on producing an old-fashioned musical in order to raise money to buy an ambulance for the village. Using lyrical Irish, proper British, and clipped Australian accents, Catherine Milte provides a smooth and easy delivery. With a twinkle in her voice, she captures Lola, the leprechaun of a grandmother, as comfortably as she does Anna's timid 7-year-old daughter. Milte's description of a sister's tragedy is poignant, and her renditions of the local characters cast to play in the theater production are unreservedly amusing. E.V.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2009]