The Browning Version

The exceptional Martin Jarvis projects sad intensity as an aloof yet emotionally wounded classics teacher who is being forced into retirement after 18 years at a (not so) posh English boarding school. His young wife, played with calculating verve by Kate Steele, has once again cheated on him. The haughty headmaster, a perfectly cast Ian Ogilvy, wants him out a day early. Only an unexpected gift from a student seems like a ray of hope, and even that may not be what it seems. In this performance recorded before a live audience, the entire cast digs deep to discover how subtle comments and the most everyday experiences can drive a man to the brink. A modern classic (1948) that paved the way for the works of Stoppard and Pinter. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine