DANCER

Dion Graham's whispery baritone delivers a quietly commanding performance of Colum McCann's beautifully written novel inspired by ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev's life. Growing up behind the Iron Curtain in the postwar Soviet Union, young Rudi faces deprivation, hunger, and government repression. Graham wisely doesn't attempt character voices yet deftly takes us through Rudi's angst-filled early life, his defection to the West, his flamboyant behavior, his romances and sexual liaisons, and his eventual fame as a renowned dancer. McCann combines biographical facts drawn from numerous people who knew Nureyev--his sister, his first ballet teacher, his housekeeper, his lovers, and a host of well-known people, including Margot Fonteyn, John Lennon, and JFK. Graham's intelligent narration provides an intimate, thought-provoking listening experience. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]