SELECTED SHORTS: A TOUCH OF MAGIC

The stories in these 10 “Selected Shorts” performances are all touched by the fantastic. Stephen Colbert gives a dry, effective reading of Ray Bradbury's classic sci-fi horror tale "The Veldt," while John Lithgow goes over the top performing "The Monkey's Paw" but still brings out the old story's horror and sadness. Jerry Zaks, though a fine reader, fails to enter into the spirit of Jonathan Safran Foer's whimsical “Sixth Borough," and the reading falls a bit flat. The best of a good lot is Réne Auberjonois's lightly accented reading of T.C. Boyle's "Swept Away," a tragicomic tale of love and high winds on one of the Shetland Islands. As usual for “Selected Shorts,” this is a high-quality, entertaining collection. W.M. 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2009]