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    The Graduate
    The Graduate
    The Graduate
    Audiobook1 hour

    The Graduate

    Written by Terry Johnson, Charles Webb, Buck Henry and Calder Willingham

    Narrated by Kathleen Turner, Matthew Rhys and Full Cast

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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 and interview with the star of The Graduate, 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 Hotel Clerk and others
    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherL.A. Theatre Works
    Release dateSep 15, 2011
    ISBN9781580818216
    Author

    Terry Johnson

    After obtaining an MSc in Industrial Applied Mathematics in 1974, Terry Johnson initially worked as a research assistant at Sheffield Polytechnic. In 1977 he began his railway aerodynamics career as a graduate entrant to the Aerodynamics Team of British Rail Research in Derby. By the time of railway privatisation in 1996, he had risen to be Head of the Team. There followed 12 years working in the railway consultancies of AEA Technology Rail/DeltaRail. He then joined the Railway Safety and Standards Board in 2008 as their Principal Aerodynamics Engineer, and has worked on a wide range of railway aerodynamics research projects and has maintained and developed aerodynamic aspects in GB railway standards. He is a Chartered Mathematician and Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

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    Reviews for The Graduate

    4.5/5

    14 ratings1 review

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    • 4/5
      Having graduated from from college and on track to live The American Dream, Benjamin Braddock is not so sure that that is what he really wants or even what that really means. It's 1967, societal paradigms are being deconstructed and Ben's self-assuredness, intelligence, angst and inexperience combine to mire him in months of indecision and a retreat into his parents' home and the arms of Mrs. Robinson. Why, exactly Ben chooses to sleep with the much older, alcoholic, intellectually stunted woman is not clear; but she serves as a foil to Ben's potential. Having lived according to the dictates of mid-century life, she has ended up as damaged goods and has the capacity to keep Ben bogged down. And why Mrs. Robinson chooses to seduce Ben remains equally unclear. She does not seem to gain anything other than immediate gratification from their relationship, though amelioration from the disappointments of her own life are implied. The situation becomes further complicated when Ben is set up on a date with Elaine, Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

      The Graduate is a comedy that finds its humor in finding the absurdity of the quotidian. Underneath the ideals of American life is the messy, complicated and bizarre constructs of human emotions and reactions. If you didn't laugh, you might cry; but there are great lines and ripostes written into the script and, the performances of the full cast ensemble show remarkable timing and chemistry. Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys reprised their roles as Mrs. Robinson and Ben respectively from the original run ten years ago in the West End.

      The L.A. Theater Works production is a live stage reading and the audience's reaction to the exchanges provide the auditory cues for the listener. There are no foley effects, so the audience serves as the relay between the immediate action of the performers and the listener. The audience is always one step ahead, laughing, responding perhaps to the body language or facial expressions of the actors, while the listener waits for the explanatory line. While somewhat disconcerting, the overall performance comes across as fun and funny. You'll wish you had been there!

      Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, The Graduate; 04/03/2012