REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Mark Bramhall single-handedly delivers this squalling American masterpiece with all the variety of a full-cast production, and none of the confusion. Each character has a distinct voice, and each alters as the drama requires. "Still, I don't suppose one picture window is necessarily going to destroy our personalities," says Frank Wheeler, when he and his wife, April, first view the "charming" suburban house on Revolutionary Road. “‘Oh that's marvelous,’ Mrs. Givings cried, and her laughter enclosed them in a warm shelter of flattery . . . " The real estate agent means to sound cheerful. Frank means to sound brave and self-aware. They both fail, and you can hear this in Bramhall's nuanced performance. An overlooked American tragedy has finally hit the ear. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]