LADY OF THE CAMELLIAS

Setting the mood with music, the production unfolds with vignettes - mini-scenes with sound effects, including background and crowd noises, a horse and buggy on cobblestones, just enough to suggest, not too much to be intrusive. The cast is uniformly excellent as the story of the beautiful, dying courtesan and her passionate lover spirals to its inevitable conclusion. Cast members create a large group of convincing characters, and the narrators' descriptions of clothes and rooms and people are wonderfully elegant. Combined with the fine performances and the heartbreaking love story, this is a perfect vehicle for audio. Listeners will savor this film for the ears. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2014]