THE WHISTLING TOILETS

Stan and Ginny are crossing the bridge between childhood and adulthood. She carries the forced maturity of a tennis champ, and he lumbers valiantly through all the love and hurt that life keeps doling out to him. Around them, others face the journey in their own ways. All of them have the wistful tone of adolescence that Heller conveys so well. His voice almost cracks with earnestness. The quick, sharp humor is nasal. Anything resembling love whines. Powell's narrative is, in many ways, simplistic, and Heller, with consummate artistry, makes it rich through sound. Few actors could do such a fine representation of someone talking with his mouth full. S.B.S. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 99]