Canticle

In this sequel to LAMENTATION, the Named Lands are ravaged by political unrest and may be nearing total collapse. General Rudolfo must find a way to stop the uprisings, but danger lies around every corner. This gifted group of narrators allows the story to breathe more expansively that it might with a single narrator. The direction is a bit unconventional as, in addition to performing assigned characters, each narrator tackles short chunks of the narrative as it relates to his or her character. William Dufris and Scott Brick are particularly strong at reading narrative, while Maggie-Meg Reed sounds more comfortable performing in a specific role. Stefan Rudnicki displays his inherent performance ability, diving headlong into character and never looking back. Overall, the production is largely compelling, and the story benefits from the approach. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine