Live Performances on CDs From WordTheatre

Just in time for holiday gift-giving, and perfect for long-haul truck trips and tiresome rides to grandmother's house, from HarperAudio come three new spoken word CDs by WordTheatre. The three CDs feature performances of short stories by some of America's best-known and respected actors and authors. The three hour-long WordTheatre collections, to be released on November 1, titled Family Affairs, Love Hurts, and The Wild West, are taken from live performances produced by theatre cognoscenti Cedering Fox and Darrell Larson.

Fox and Larson, each with extensive experience acting, producing, and directing, have fashioned the CDs from themed readings at venues in Los Angeles, New York, and London. Often at the readings the authors were on hand to sign books, and the atmosphere of a literary salon was created. The pair's intention is to recreate that experience for listeners of the CDs.

Years of involvement in the theatre, films, and public radio have left the pair with substantial Rolodexes and many friends among A-list actors and writers. They have deliberately mixed some well-known names with lesser ones on all three CDs to both attract and intrigue listeners. On Family Affairs, television stars Richard Schiff (The West Wing) and Julianna Margulies (ER) and film actor Gil Bellows are the performers who give voice to stories about the complications of childhood, which are painful and hilarious in turn. The Pushcart Prize winning story "Oblivion, Nebraska" by Peter Moore Smith, Donald Hall's "The Ideal Bakery," and Mona Simpson's "Admissions," each with distinct sensibilities and styles, harmoniously create a coherent presentation.

Love Hurts also folds tragedy and comedy together with four stories: Steve Almond's "A Happy Dream," read by Christopher Gorham; Arthur Miller's "Bulldog," read by Jeff Goldblum; "Reading at His Wake," Pamela Painter's 2005 Pushcart Prize winner, read by Marcia Gay Harden; and Ron Carlson's "The Gold Lunch," read by Bill Nighy.

The third CD, The Wild West, reflects a particular passion of Larson, who has mounted several series featuring Western writers. "Deadwood Dick," read by Amy Madigan, is taken from an 1887 dime novel by Edward Wheeler; "Naked Gun," from John Jake's Western story collection, The Bold Frontier, is read by Gary Dourdan; and "Journey to the Fort," a woman's account of struggle in the perilous West, by Dorothy M. Johnson, is read by Sheila Kelley.

Cedering Fox

Fox and Larson recently spoke to BTW about the joys of seeking out little-known and classic literary gems and pairing them with the ideal reader. "We brainstorm, thinking of all the actors we know, plus some that we have never worked with, and do everything we can to involve them in the project," said Fox, who does voice-overs by day. She found a kindred spirit in Larson, a director and television and film actor (The Manchurian Candidate and Stepmom), who once asked her to fill in for him directing Literary Evenings at Los Angeles' MET Theatre. "Watching the audience laughing to the point of tears [as Joey Pantoliano (The Sopranos) read a Damon Runyon short story], she knew this job was "as good as it gets."

Fox and Larson continue to produce literary events, for the pleasure it brings them and audiences, and for potential future compilation recordings. Performances are often scheduled in Los Angeles, but a WordTheatre benefit for The Pushcart Prize Fellowship was held in June at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, and "Brunch with James Salter and His Stories" will kick off WordTheatre's new series at The Cutting Room in New York City on December 4.

Fox works with Book Sense stores to supply books for the events. Book Soup (West Hollywood) and Small World Books (Venice) have been involved in the L.A. area, and for the next New York show, McNally Robinson will provide the books and CDs to be sold. "We want to involve people in literature and help people feel connected, to create community," Fox told BTW. "That's the goal of independent booksellers, too. We hope they'll become as excited about these CDs as we are. People are hungry for good stories."

According to HarperAudio Marketing Manager Barbara Lilie, one WordTheatre CD and a flier will be included in the next Book Sense Red Box mailing to stores with Book Sense. Audio clips will also soon be available on the HarperCollins website. For ordering and display information, booksellers should contact their HarperCollins sales rep. --Nomi Schwartz