It will probably come as no surprise to learn that most of us in the library world like things to be in their proper place. This isn’t some kind of obsessive/compulsive disorder, usually anyway, but all in the name of access. Whole systems, both digital and physical, are created and designed to put materials into an organizational scheme and, most importantly, make all our great collections easy to find. Despite our best efforts, however, there are always a few types of materials that just don’t seem to fit anywhere easily, becoming the stuff of librarians’ nightmares.
One such area is Radio Dramas, sometimes called Radio Plays or Audio Theater. These collaborative recordings are hybrids that could fit in many different places in the library. Rather than go into the super scintillating reasons why, the important thing to note is that the radio dramas at the Everett Public Library are in the Audio Books section. Not super intuitive I know, but hey, at least they are in the same collection area. To encourage you to seek out these classification misfits, here is a sampling of some of the top notch titles the library has to offer.
Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama
A long time ago, 1981 to be exact, on a radio station called NPR, a serialization of the original Star Wars film was performed. This rerelease is a full cast adaptation, including Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels from the film, complete with sound effects and theme music. The intriguing fact for the true Star Wars aficionado is that this program expands the original storyline by adding significant amounts of backstory. Curious about how Princess Leia actually acquired those Death Star schematics? This production will let you hear how it was done.
Smiley’s People: a BBC Full-Cast Radio Drama
The sequel to Le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has spy chief George Smiley coming out of retirement to engage in some more deadly Cold War espionage. This could be the final round, however, as he must face his Soviet nemesis, code named Karla. All the hallmarks of BBC radio drama at its best can be heard, including great sound effects, veteran voice actors, and a plethora of regional accents.
This dramatization of Tom De Haven’s novel traces the evolution of the young Clark Kent including his journey from 1930s Kansas to New York City and his acquisition of super powers. As with most modern takes on the superhero genre, this reimagined Superman has skeletons in his closet and plenty of issues to deal with as he battles Lex Luthor and woos Lois Lane. This is a GraphicAudio production, an organization known for its radio drama presentations and should not disappoint.
Armistead Maupin’s tale of a young woman’s experiences in 1970s San Francisco gets the radio drama treatment in this set of CDs. This is the first novel featuring the quirky and downright odd tenants of 28 Barbary Lane and these characters are a bonanza for the talented voice actors of this production. If you want to continue your listening experience, definitely check out the sequel, More Tales of the City, as well.
The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas Volume 1
This is a collection of classic Twilight Zone television episodes recently readapted for a listening audience. Many of the classic shows are here, including The Night of the Meek and Long Live Walter Jameson. In addition, the stories are narrated by a cavalcade of stars of varying wattage including Mariette Hartley, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jane Seymour, Blair Underwood and Ed Begley, Jr. Sadly, they couldn’t get William Shatner to narrate Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. Maybe in the next volume.
This tale of wartime espionage and intrigue starts with a classic premise; an innocent man discovers a dead body in his apartment and is promptly framed for murder. As he tries to clear his name, he uncovers a sinister world of plots, conspiracies and undercover agents. This is a full cast BBC production with lots of great talent including Tom Baker (of Dr. Who fame) and David Robb.
I’ve just highlighted a few of the many quality radio dramas we have in this collection. If you are interested in even more, the easiest way to find them in the catalog is to search under the subject headings Radio Plays and Radio Adaptations. While they can take a little digging to find, you will be well rewarded for your efforts.
Be sure to visit A Reading Life for more reviews and news of all things happening at the Everett Public Library.
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