HAROLD AND MAUDE

Barbara Rosenblat's performance of this classic black comedy is a master class in narration. Deadpan humor is a particularly hard note to strike with voice alone; overplay it and you ruin the joke, underplay it and the listener may miss the fact that it is a joke. Rosenblat is a consummate character actor; her version of Harold's monolithic monster mother is pitch-perfect, while strange young Harold, ingeniously faking his death over and over, is hilarious rather than creepy. Since the story is both farce and fable, the performances of Harold and Maude must succeed on several levels. Rosenblat's technique is a marvel, witty, sympathetic, and perfectly controlled. This audio novelization of the iconic film has charms even the movie lacks. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2023]