Daddies

by Paul W. Kruse, Barbara Chisholm (Reader), Gabriel Vaughan (Reader)

Joseph is having a comically rough year. His job sucks, his relationship ended, he's plagued by prank phone calls, and he nearly lost his father to the virus. When his best friend asks him to donate his sperm so that she can start a family, Joseph just can't understand why anyone would bring a child into this calamitous world. The only bright spot is an intriguing new online relationship with an attractive internet “daddy” that has him rethinking his isolation until a series of revelations have him facing even bigger decisions about his future. Portions of this audiobook contain mature language. Listener discretion is advised. Playwright Paul Kruse was awarded a commission through the Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund, an initiative dedicated to developing innovative original plays driven by language and voice. As an Audible-commissioned playwright, he received funding and creative support to develop Daddies . Directed by Adil Mansoor. 

Genres: Audiobook, Queer, Plays, Fiction, LGBT, Theatre

Audio CD

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian) Teder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated Pandemic & Zoom Humour
Review of the Audible Original audiobook edition (March 3, 2022)

Timing is a major element in comedy. This can be simply in the manner of delivery by the actor or comedian who is reciting the lines. It is also a question of the material. What might be offensive at one time can become humorous in retrospect. What can be spot on at a certain time can seem outdated only a few weeks or months or years later.

The audioplay Daddies draws much of its humour from our reactions to the 2020-22 worldwide coronavirus pandemic. The lead character Joseph has an online job which involves him teaching technology to seniors via Zoom calls. Meanwhile his past relationship ended, his father was infected (but recovered) from the virus, a friend is asking that he be a sperm donor for an artificial insemination and he is easing his way into a new relationship via online dating.

The humour comes from the mishaps of Zoom calls, his father's cantankerous reactions to being coddled, various scam or wrong or prank phone calls and the fumblings of missed signals or miscommunications of online dating. This doesn't always hit home as most of us have just been worn down by going through a lot of these things in real-life and they are either not funny any more or we are just tired of hearing about them. Playwright Kruse has to pull out somewhat of a miraculous 'deus ex machina' (a supposed phone call from the future) in order to get to a resolution for an ending.

This all could have hit much better perhaps a year ago, say late 2020/early 2021? which is when it was probably written. Hearing it now in early 2022, you are no longer engaged with it. This is not the fault of the extended cast who do a fine job in their narration performances.

Daddies is written by Paul Kruse and is one of the 2018 Audible Emerging Playwrights commissions. As with the other Audible Theater commissions released to date, it is a studio recording rather than a live theatre performance.

Trivia and Link

Teaser image of 6 new Audible Theater releases from March 3, 2022. Image sourced from Audible.

[Nicole*bookaholic* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. This was weirdly interesting.

[Ronie Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second time around and I stand by original rating. "COVID sucked." I like how I said that, like it's over and done with

[That One Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out well enough, but it spiraled quick and then ended way abruptly without much umph. To the point when it ended I kept waiting for more to play like there was just a pause in the narrative.

I just don’t think there was enough in it to really have a huge impact. If it were longer and more time spent with the connections and relationships then I think it could’ve have a bigger impact. As it is, it felt rushed and ineffective.

[Cassandra Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird and dystopian.

[Ashlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid and quick read. I feel like I wanted more answers though.

[Gina Leahy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly funny. Not what I expected.

[Kry Tiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t read the description.. skimmed it barely. But the story was interesting. I wish we could’ve known a little more - felt like the author decided to keep us in suspense. It was an good look into how we aren’t always the “best friend” we think we are. Sometimes we focus more on ourselves than those around us. Makes us seem self-centered. Even during a pandemic, we should take our friends and families feelings into consideration, and be aware of how we treat them.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read the synopsis and spare yourself the Audible book!

[Shawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an absolute mess.

[Artchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An odd genre of drama, pandemic realism, social commentary and sci-fi to a certain extent. Thought it could be more than what it was but the different concepts didn’t quite gel or become cohesive.

[Kent Winward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't particularly like the inexplicable time travel-ish element.

[Brittany Caraballo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was not what I expected at all. The audio narration and sound quality were fantastic, but it was almost hard to follow without visual cues.

[Dina F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out very compelling but lost it's way and became disjointed by the end

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished listening to the Audible original "Daddies" by Paul W. Kruse, and I must say, it was a truly engaging experience. The audiobook was relatively short, only about an hour and a half, but I found myself completely immersed in the story, eagerly wanting to know what happens next.

At first, I thought "Daddies" would be a comedy or a romance, but it turned out to be so much more. The story revolves around Joseph, who is navigating the challenges of the pandemic while dealing with various personal issues. Prank calls, his father's infection with the virus, and his unconventional job teaching boomers online all contribute to the chaos in his life. When his best friend asks him to donate sperm for their family plans, things take an unexpected turn. As Joseph explores his online dating life, a seemingly simple question unravels his world, leading to a compelling and grappling story.

The performance of the audio actors was exceptional, making it feel like I was right there in the midst of the story. The audiobook was like a captivating movie playing in my ears, capturing my attention from start to finish.

"Daddies" defies easy categorization, incorporating elements of comedy, romance, and even a touch of magical realism. The unexpected nature of the plot kept me hooked, leaving me unsure of how it would conclude.

Though I enjoyed the story, I can't help but wish it had been longer with a more detailed resolution.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the middle of the COVID-19 epidemic and Joseph’s world has shrunk. He can’t see his ageing father or his friends and he has a frustrating online job working with baby boomers who struggle with technology. Joseph worries about the world and its future so his friends’ request to be their baby daddy unsettles him. Joseph’s only bright spot is the relationship he’s cultivating with a guy online. First of all, I loved the first-class audiobook production values and narrators, just so good! I liked the naturalistic dialogue, the boomer scenes were especially fun. I also liked the wide-ranging issues canvassed - climate change, racism and white privilege, the pandemic, it all works. The story was harder to like for a couple of reasons: the topics are fairly depressing and the blurb sets up an unfulfilled expectation of romance when this is really a sci-fi story. I notice a lot of reviewers using the word ‘weird’. I think that’s because the sci-fi aspects creep up on you with little explanation or resolution so they take you by surprise. It did challenge me and make me think, though, and that’s always something I really appreciate.

[Danis ❤️ MM · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. Luckily it was a brief audiobook and part of the free catalog on Audible as I would have been super annoyed if I actually wasted a credit on this.

Starts our strong. Very dated, set during first round of COVID when everyone was terrified. A young, newly single gay man has moved back to his rural hometown to work online and be closer to his ailing father who has already had COVID once. I immediately thought it strange he got his own apartment instead of moving in with Dad. He's trying to navigate working online at a job he hates, cyber dating, trying to get his Dad to do what the doctors tell him, and pining for his friends back in New York City. Ok. That's fine. Then it just starts getting weird. Like super weird. It turns out the guy he's "dating" if from the future and his son?!! And the world is kinda fucked. With multiple apocalyptic pandemics occurring. And he needs to see his friends, one of whom will eventually carry his baby, so that his boyfriend/son can deliver a heartfelt message to his Mom?

Yeah, complete mess at the end. Totally lost me.

[Melvin Rodríguez-Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird story about finding love, keeping bonds and traversing a world with conflicting generations in the midst of a pandemic and a worldview that leaves little but pessimism to fall back into. I enjoyed the characters' interactions and their progressions within the story. There was also plenty of humor that I enjoyed, particularly the main character's interactions with his father. Some other humor I laughed at, but at times I felt the characters were mouthpieces for the author's politics, most of which align with mine, but still, I don't like when a piece of art forfeits subtext for telling me what to think. Certain topics, interactions and humor however, are destined to become dated. This was written in the peak of the pandemic and it often feels like a product of this time, but its time closeness to the topics it tries to explore doesn't allow for the reflection that distance affords.

[Ziggi Chavez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this, and felt connected with the characters. I do wish there was a bit more to it though, as it seemed to end right as things were getting good; I’ll have to go pick up a dystopian post-coronapocalypse novel to find out what comes next.

Mostly though the star loss is due to the Harry Potter reference, so trigger warning for that. Even though it does tackle the TERF issues, and ends on the note of “you can’t just separate the art from the artist,” it still was jarring, and not necessary to the plot. It could just as easily have been replaced by a Game of Thrones reference, or something else with a cult following for time placement in order for the plot to still flow smooth. Let that TERF trash fade into obscurity and be forgotten.

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this charming and engaging audiobook, Joseph is having a difficult year in the middle of a pandemic, dealing with job and family issues. You can comprehend the isolation scenario: no one being able to leave the house, remote phone talks, and the fear of death.

The sound design was excellent, and the dialogue was nicely written. I was moved by the narrative in a positive manner since I have been in comparable situations. To prevent spoilers, I won't delve into the merits of the developments, but the finale was surreal. I believe Joseph is one of the millions of pandemic survivors—like me—who have changed their perspectives on life.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, let me say this is NOT a romance.

The best thing I can say is the main narrator had a good voice and did a good job. I guess I can also say that the story was interesting but it wasn’t an enjoyable kind of interesting.

The absolute worst part was the production. So many sounds of babies crying. There was actually about 4 minutes of discordant electronic sounds at the almost end. But not at the very end so you had more to go. So much awkward chuckling. Why?!??

There is no way this audio file was edited or even reviewed by anyone after it was put together.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In interesting take on one person's life during the Covid pandemic that has the craziest twist at the end. There is humor but also sadness and seriousness during lockdown, when this story takes place. Joseph has to deal with his own personal issues while being the support his dad needs and it's a very different take on an audiobook form what I've listened to before. It's labeled as a play and the entire cast does a wonderful job. I really enjoyed this a lot.

[Dhamiera Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a good depiction of life during the covid 19 pandemic and the sacrifices people had to make, but there were strange turns to the plot that I still don't understand. the zoom fate with the future son, the strange calls from unknown people and the main character in general were all peculiar.

[Kristin Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea and theme, but I was taken aback by the weird turn of events at the end... I like time travel and fantasy, but the introduction of it in this book was late and far too sudden that it felt to me like a copout to avoid getting deeper into touchy subjects and situations. Not so well managed in my humble opinion.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

[FREE via Audible] It’s a play-like audio performance (I love those) that takes place from one queer person’s perspective during their Covid lockdown.

I loved it and thought it was great. Just wish there was a little more detail or storyline to it.

I listen to everything on audible at a speed of 1.4 x, including this reading! At this speed, it’s approx a 1 hour read.

[Lemon (dylan) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to give this a 5/5 *so* bad, because it is truly one of the better and well put together things i’ve ever listened to, but I wanted/needed it to be just a little longer and more fleshed out. Fuck, this was good though.

[mey · Rating 3 out of 5]

this messed up with my head big time but the msg kinda made me cry. IDK man

[Angela M. Artis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not the ending I was expecting !!! This Audible was much better then expected.

[Chambers Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty wonderful!
Can't wait for his next play.

[Angelika Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. The twist was great. It was timely, and both funny and awful, as it’s a stark reminder of the times we live in. I just hope this future doesn’t come to pass.