LA BETE

The patron of a troupe of seventeenth-century French actors foists on them a conceited, silly playwright and performer—to the outrage of their own writer, an intellectual and artist. Hirson's rhyming verse is sometimes strained or veers toward doggerel but can be clever, especially in the almost-contrapuntal use of many voices in unison or in rapid succession. Such sections are well read and well recorded. Some speeches go on too long, a problem for listeners, who have no actions or expressions to observe. The audible reactions of background characters—usually laughter—are sometimes uncomfortably overdone. But the principal actors are sharp, clear, and effective, making for a lively performance of a sometimes-amusing, sometimes-thoughtful, and only rarely tedious comic drama. W.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2009]