Publisher Description
This is an American classic adapted for the stage, starring Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson and Matthew Rhys as Benjamin Braddock. A fresh-faced college grad returns home, diploma in hand, to seek an answer to that age old question: “Now what?” Lacking any clear career path, he falls prey to the original “cougar,” the predatory Mrs. Robinson, wife of his father’s business partner. But it’s Mrs. Robinson’s daughter who captures his heart.
Includes an interview with screen legend Kathleen Turner.
An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson; Matthew Rhys as Benjamin Braddock; Bruce Davison as Mr. Braddock; John Getz as Mr. Robinson; Jamison Jones as the Hotel Clerk; Devon Sorvari as Elaine Robinson; Linda Purl as Mrs. Braddock, and others.
Adapted for the stage by Terry Johnson, based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry. Directed by John Rubinstein. Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles.
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“It’s impossible to listen to the L.A. Theatre Works production of The Graduate and not envision the 1967 movie starring Dustin Hoffman. And that’s not a bad thing, especially when the audio version features the whiskey-voiced Kathleen Turner stepping into the role of the original cougar, Mrs. Robinson. If anyone can make listeners forget Anne Bancroft, it’s Turner. With a nod to Hoffman, Matthew Rhys plays Benjamin Braddock, a young college graduate trying to find his way in the world. His path gets complicated when he has an affair with Mrs. Robinson and then falls in love with her daughter, played by Devon Sorvari. The actors make the performance come to life, a play for the theater of the mind.”
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AudioFile
About the Authors
Charles Webb (1939–2020) was the author of nine novels, including his best-known novel The Graduate, which was made into a major motion picture in 1963 and which became an icon of the social tensions of the 1960s. He studied history and literature and graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts. He and his wife, an artist, lived a non-materialistic life style, home-schooled their two children, and were activists their entire lives in support of gay rights and other social issues.
Bruce
Davison, narrator, received critics’ praise for his reading of On the Waterfront, an adaptation that
was named a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award in 2004. As an actor, he
has enjoyed an over four-decade career including everything from Shakespeare to
Seinfeld. On Broadway, he starred in The
Elephant Man and earned numerous other strong theatrical roles, winning the
Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for his work in Streamers in 1977. In film, he’s won a Golden Globe, a NSFC Award,
and other awards for best supporting actor. His numerous television credits
include General Hospital and Knight Rider. He has also occasionally
served as a writer, producer, and director. He lives with his family in the Los
Angeles area.
Devon Sorvari is an Earphones Award–winning and Audie Award–nominated narrator. She graduated from NYU’s Circle in the Square program and the Classical Studio. She has nationwide theater credits ranging from Shakespeare to musicals.
About the Narrators
Bruce
Davison, narrator, received critics’ praise for his reading of On the Waterfront, an adaptation that
was named a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award in 2004. As an actor, he
has enjoyed an over four-decade career including everything from Shakespeare to
Seinfeld. On Broadway, he starred in The
Elephant Man and earned numerous other strong theatrical roles, winning the
Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for his work in Streamers in 1977. In film, he’s won a Golden Globe, a NSFC Award,
and other awards for best supporting actor. His numerous television credits
include General Hospital and Knight Rider. He has also occasionally
served as a writer, producer, and director. He lives with his family in the Los
Angeles area.
Kathleen Turner is an award-winning actress who has starred in over twenty-five films including Prizzi’s Honor, Romancing the Stone, and The War of the Roses, along with twelve Broadway shows including The Graduate and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. She is active in Planned Parenthood, People for the American Way, and City Meals on Wheels. She lives in New York City.
Devon Sorvari is an Earphones Award–winning and Audie Award–nominated narrator. She graduated from NYU’s Circle in the Square program and the Classical Studio. She has nationwide theater credits ranging from Shakespeare to musicals.
John Getz is a stage-trained actor known for his roles in Blood Simple, The Fly, and The Social Network. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and attended the American Conservatory of Theatre in San Francisco.
John Getz is a stage-trained actor known for his roles in Blood Simple, The Fly, and The Social Network. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and attended the American Conservatory of Theatre in San Francisco.
Matthew Rhys plays Kevin Walker in the hit US drama series Brothers and Sisters and was Edward Malone in the BBC production of The Lost World. On film, he has been seen in Love and Other Disasters and played Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love. His theater work includes the lead role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and he received outstanding notices for his West End role in The Graduate, playing opposite Kathleen Turner.