HOUSE OF NAMES

When it comes to female characters who have something to say, Colm Tóibín, author of the intense NORA WEBSTER and the scorching TESTAMENT OF MARY, is on a roll. This time he's written his version of the Greek myth about King Agamemnon, who kills his daughter Iphigenia to make the winds rise, engendering the enmity of his wife (and Iphigenia's mother), Clytemnestra. Juliet Stevenson channels Clytemnestra with an icy fury and her usual marvelous diction. She's calm like the quiet before a tsunami and utterly riveting. When the point of view shifts partway through to the other children, Orestes, performed by Charlie Anson, and Electra, voiced by Pippa Nixon, it's a surprise. But don't worry. They're as fierce as Stevenson in this mesmerizing ancient yet modern tale. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2017]