DANTE’S INFERNO

This full-cast adaptation of the first third of Dante’s DIVINE COMEDY emphasizes the horrors described in the work, with some effectively creepy and haunting moments. Scary images get the most attention. With scarcely a glance at the poem's philosophy, theology, or history, one is plunged through the circles of hell. The acting is mostly solid, with some performers verging on the showy, while the sound effects are sometimes hokey, sometimes effective. Some of the music is simply odd—one is continually aware of the effort to be "eerie." Still, this moderately entertaining version will give listeners a taste of what THE INFERNO is about—no mean accomplishment in just 60 minutes. W.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]