Seven Classic Plays

by Yuri Rasovsky

Blackstone Audio is proud to present seven great plays in a collection that illustrates the development of European drama from ancient times to the threshold of the modern theater: Medea by Euripides, The Tempest by Shakespeare, The Imaginary Invalid, by Molière, Camille by Dumas, An Enemy of the People by Ibsen, Arms and the Man by Shaw, and Uncle Vanya by Chekhov.

Genres: Classics, Plays, Fiction, Drama, Anthologies, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Cookie M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yessirree. They were classic plays, there were seven of them and they were performed in audio fashion. Dramatically, bombastically, with musical interludes. can't you just imagine the popular stars of the early 1980s bounding around on the stage in their togas and gowns, emoting for your edification. The bounding in togas you will have to imagine. The emoting is here. Be edified. I wasn't. I majored in theater at a second-rate state uniedifier. I know when actors are not enjoying their performances. That's all I will say.

[Hannah Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously the best way to engage with these plays would have been to watch them performed but for what this was it’s very good! Each piece had a little bio section for the playwright and other info, and all of them appeared to have been recorded by the same group of people in 1985. I liked being exposed to new plays for the first time and widening my horizons lol

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent performances. I didn’t love every play but appreciated each one. My favorites? Madea, An Enemy of the People, and Arms and the Man.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice sounds for most of the plays

I liked the translation used for Medea, it was a bit hard to hear the actors a few times though.

Dumas' play, oh my...

I didn't like parts of Enemy of the People as a play, the part about the people in the Hills needing a veterinarian and not a doctor bothered me

Uncle Vanya is depressing

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I hated a couple plays I couldn't give this a better rating. Some were ok. A few were excellent.

[Charissa Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the audio version of these plays. Well done.

[Seamus McQuaid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great selection of plays. Really helps to build your knowledge of theatre, and widen your understanding beyond west end musicals etc. For those who want to think and not just lay back and be entertained.

[Vicky Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was a great introduction to some of the most famous playwrights and plays in history. I found the collection while looking for audiobook versions of Shakespeare's plays. While I liked the Tempest, I actually enjoyed most of the other plays even more. Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People" was probably my favorite due to its subject matter. It raised some great questions about the role of truth in governance and I feel it's particularly applicable to today's debates on Global Warming. Euripides's "Medea" was my second favorite. I remember finding this play absurd when I read it back in high school but this production here with the sung chorus and lovely music was wonderful. And now that I'm a wife and mother myself, I can much better appreciate Medea's situation.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was quite refreshing to listen to these seven plays. The production, the acting are all first rate. I have seen the Tempest performed several times, and the audio, while good will never replace the visual. However, the other seven plays did well as audio plays. I have read all by Uncle Vanya and A Man at Arms, but hearing them performed was quite nice. I recommend this to anyone interested in variety from the typcial audiobook.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand many classics, but I continued to the end. My favorite of the collection was "An Enemy of the People" by Ibsen. I also watched the B&W video of the 1966 Arthur Miller adaptation and intend to watch videos of some of the other plays to see if I can follow them better.

[Big H · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to revisit the plays that I read during my high school years and to actually hear them read/performed out loud.

[Pritika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book on Audible. Loved the plays, rendition and the production.