Books published by publisher L.A. Theatre Works MP3-CD from Brilliance Audio

Featured title on PBS's The Great American Read in 2018Set during the Great Depression, The Grapes of Wrath tells the powerful story of the Joad family’s trek from the dust bowl of Oklahoma to the promise of a new life in California. But what they find threatens to rip apart their lives, and sever the ties that bind them together. A heart-wrenching full-cast adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by John Steinbeck and a 1990 Tony Award® Winner for Best Play, Frank Galati’s play finds its timeless heart in the generous spirit of the common man.An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:Shirley Knight as Ma JoadJeffrey Donovan as Tom JoadEmily Bergl as Rose of SharonMichael Buie as Connie/OthersDaniel Chacón as Al JoadMaurice Chasse as Deputy Sheriff/OthersShannon Cochran as Mrs. Wainwright/Elizabeth SandryTrista Delamere as 2nd Narrator/Al’s GirlFrancis Guinan as Jim CasyCharlie Matthes as Willy/Gas Station Attendant/Hooper Ranch GuardRod McLachlan as Uncle JohnRobert Pescovitz as Pa JoadJoel Rafael as Car Salesman/Man with GuitarStephen Ramsey as 1st Narrator/OthersNicholas Sadler as Agricultural Officer/OthersAndy Taylor as Gas Station Owner/Floyd Knowles/Camp Director/OthersTodd Waring as Hooper Ranch Bookkeeper/OthersFredd Wayne as Grampa/Mayor of Hooverville/Camp GuardMichael Weston as Noah Joad/OthersKate Williamson as Gramma/OthersLive music performed by the Joel Rafael Band. Adapted by Frank Galati. Directed by Richard Masur.Recorded before a live audience.

This new recording of Lorraine Hansberry's classic play chronicles a working-class African-American family struggling to maintain dignity in a harsh world. With her late husband's insurance money finally in hand, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a better home. However, her children have other plans: Walter Lee wants to buy a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to go to medical school. What happens when family dreams drastically diverge? A Raisin in the Sun is a seminal American drama and a heroic testament to hope. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Judyann Elder as Lena Younger James Gleason as Karl Lindner Noah Gray-Cabey as Travis Younger Corey Hawkins as Walter Lee Younger Deidrie Henry as Ruth Younger Terrell Tilford as George Murchison Rutina Wesley as Beneatha Younger Mirron Willis as Joseph Asagai/Bobo Directed by Lou Bellamy. Recorded before a live audience.

Stacy Keach and Jane Kaczmarek star in Arthur Miller's 1949 masterpiece, a searing portrait of the physical, emotional, and psychological costs of the American dream. Willy Loman is the play's iconic traveling salesman, whose family is torn apart by his desperate obsession with greatness and social acceptance. As his two sons cast about aimlessly for their station in life, Willy begins to come unraveled when the reality of his life threatens his long-cherished illusions. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Stacy Keach as Willy Loman Jane Kaczmarek as Linda Loman Steven Culp as Biff Loman Maureen Flannigan as Letta/Jenny Jason Henning as Bernard/Stanley Kathryn Meisle as The Woman Tim Monsion as Uncle Ben Sam McMurray as Charley John Sloan as Happy Loman Kate Steele as Miss Forsythe Kenneth Alan Williams as Howard Directed by Eric Simonson. Recorded before a live audience.

Based on Ernest J. Gaines' National Book Critics Circle Award-winning novel, Romulus Linney's A Lesson Before Dying is set in a small Louisiana Cajun community in the late 1940s. Jefferson, a young illiterate black man, is falsely convicted of murder and is sentenced to death. Grant Wiggins, the plantation schoolteacher, agrees to talk with the condemned man. The disheartened Wiggins had once harbored dreams of escaping from his impoverished youth, yet he returned to his home town after university, to teach children whose lives seemed as unpromising as Jefferson's. The two men forge a bond as they come to understand what it means to resist and defy one's own fate. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Rick Foucheux as Paul Bonin Keith Glover as Grant Wiggins Jamahl Marsh as Jefferson Linda Powell as Vivian Baptiste Jefferson A. Russell as Reverend Moses Ambrose Jerry Whiddon as Sam Guidry Beatrice Winde as Emma Glenn Directed by Nick Olcott. Recorded at Voice of America in Washington D.C.

The most iconic love story of all time, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is an epic-scale tragedy of desire and revenge. Despite the bitter rivalry that exists between their families, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet have fallen madly in love. But when the long-running rivalry boils over into murder, the young couple must embark on a dangerous and deadly mission to preserve their love at any cost.An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:Calista Flockhart as JulietMatthew Wolf as RomeoJulie White as NurseAlan Mandell as Friar LaurenceRichard Chamberlain as Prince EscalusNicholas Hormann as Lord CapuletJosh Stamberg as MercutioMark J. Sullivan as Benvolio/OthersLogan Fahey as Tybalt/BalthasarAlfred Molina as ChorusHenry Clarke as Paris/OthersLily Knight as Lady CapuletJanine Barris as Young Lady/Boy Page to Paris/OthersDarren Richardson as Sampson/PeterAlan Shearman as Lord Montague/OthersAndré Sogliuzzo as Gregory/OthersSarah Zimmerman as Lady Montague/OthersDirected by Martin Jarvis. Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, CA.

Infamously known as the cursed "Scottish play", Macbeth is perhaps Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy. When General Macbeth is foretold by three witches that he will one day be King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth convinces him to get rid of anyone who could stand in his way—including committing regicide. As Macbeth ascends to the throne through bloody murder, he becomes a tyrant consumed by fear and paranoia. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: James Marsters as Macbeth Joanne Whalley as Lady Macbeth Josh Cooke as Banquo and others JD Cullum as Macduff/Second Murderer Dan Donohue as Ross Jeannie Elias as Second Witch/Others Chuma Hunter-Gault as Lennox/Servant Jon Matthews as Malcolm Alan Shearman as Angus/Others André Sogliuzzo as Donalbain/Third Witch/Others Kate Steele as Lady Macduff/First Witch/Apparition Kristoffer Tabori as Duncan/Others Directed by Martin Jarvis. Recorded at The Invisible Studios in West Hollywood, CA.

Shakespeare combined his love of theater with Greek mythology and the supernatural to create what is arguably his most playfully imaginative work. From love potions to bizarre transformations to the unforgettable play-within-a-play, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a non-stop delight, and remains one of the milestones of the Bard's canon. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Tara Barr as Hermia Erin Bennett as Moth/Second Fairy Jamie Bamber as Oberon Janine Barris as Peaseblossom/First Fairy Brendan Bradley as Lysander Chris Butler as Theseus Kyle Colerider-Krugh as Egeus/Robin Starveling Sue Cremin as Hippolyta Hector Elizondo as Peter Quince Logan Fahey as Francis Flute Glenne Headly as Titania Simon Helberg as Demetrius Stacy Keach as Nick Bottom David Krumholtz as Puck Danny Mann as Snug Jon Matthews as Cobweb/Mustardseed Kira Sternbach as Helena André Sogliuzzo as Philostrate/Tom Snout Directed by Martin Jarvis. Original music by Mark Holden with Matt Starr and Wes Dewberry. Recording, editing, and sound design by Wes Dewberry. Mixed by Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios in West Hollywood, CA. Support for this recording of A Midsummer Night's Dream was provided by the Rosenthal Family Foundation.

Shakespeare’s timeless story of revenge, corruption, and murder is considered one of the greatest works in the English language. Prince Hamlet sets out to avenge his beloved father's death at the hand of his uncle Claudius—but Hamlet's spiral into grief and madness will have permanent and immutable consequences for the Kingdom of Denmark. Composed over 400 years ago, Hamlet remains one of the theater’s most studied and performed works, and is presented here in a stunning, sound-rich full-cast recording.An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:Josh Stamberg as HamletStephen Collins as King ClaudiusJoBeth Williams as Queen GertrudeStacy Keach as GhostAlan Mandell as PoloniusEmily Swallow as OpheliaJD Cullum as LaertesMatthew Wolf as HoratioMark Capri as Ambassador/OthersJosh Clark as Gravedigger/Voltemand/OthersHenri Lubatti as Rosencrantz/OthersJon Matthews as Guildenstern/OthersDarren Richardson as Player Queen/OthersAndré Sogliuzzo as Reynaldo/OthersDirected by Martin Jarvis. Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, CA.

John Lithgow and B. D. Wong recreate their original roles from the Tony® Award-winning production of David Henry Hwang's play. Inspired by an actual espionage scandal, a French diplomat discovers the startling truth about his Chinese mistress.An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance starring:Margaret Cho as Comrade Chin/Suzuki/Shu-FangDavid Dukes as M. Toulon/Man/JudgeJoanna Frank as HelgaArye Gross as Marc/Man/Consul SharplessKathryn Layng as Renee/Woman at Party/GirlJohn Lithgow as Rene GallimardB.D. Wong as Song LilingDirected by Steve Albrezzi. Recorded before a live audience by L.A. Theatre Works."Hearing two such accomplished actors in parts they have mastered is a rare treat...L.A. Theatre Works is producing radio drama to rival the quality work of the BBC." —AudioFile Magazine

One of Shaw's most enduring works, Pygmalion is an insightful comedy of class relations and perceptions, as played out between a Cockney flower girl and the irascible speech professor who has taken her on as a pet project. Described by critics as "a play of great vitality and charm," Pygmalion inspired the award-winning stage and film productions of Lerner and Loewe's musical, My Fair Lady.An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:Roslyn Alexander as Mrs. Eynsford-HillShannon Cochran as Eliza DoolittleDenise du Maurier as Mrs. HigginsRebecca MacLean as Clara Eynsford-HillDavid New as Freddy Eynsford-HillKenneth J. Northcott as Colonel PickeringNicholas Pennell as Henry HigginsNicholas Rudall as Alfred DoolittleBen Whitehouse as Bystander/ButlerLaura Whyte as Mrs. PearceDirected by Nicholas Rudall. Recorded before an audience by L.A. Theatre Works.

With an all-star cast including Stacy Keach, Helen Hunt, Edward Asner, Ted Danson and Richard Dreyfuss, this epic of the booming 1920s uniquely captures the relentless culture of American business. Babbitt is a true classic about conformity in small-town America, celebrated for its comic tone, satire, and vivid dialogue. Based on Sinclair Lewis's novel, first published in 1922. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance with Edward Asner as George F. Babbitt, and featuring: René Auberjonois, Bonnie Bedelia, Ed Begley Jr., Georgia Brown, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jack Coleman, Bud Cort, Ted Danson, William Devane, Richard Dreyfuss, Héctor Elizondo, Fionnula Flanagan, Robert Foxworth, Harry Hamlin, Julie Harris, Helen Hunt, Amy Irving, Stacy Keach, John Lithgow, Nan Martin, Marsha Mason, Richard Masur, Marian Mercer, Joanna Miles, Holly Palance, Judge Reinhold, Franklyn Seales, David Selby, Ally Sheedy, Madolyn Smith, James Whitmore, JoBeth Williams and Michael York. Directed by Gordon Hunt.

The skies over ancient Rome blaze with terrifying portents, and soothsayers warn Julius Caesar of approaching doom. As conspiracy swirls through the city, Shakespeare explores the deep repercussions of political murder on the human heart. A classic tale of duplicity, betrayal and murder, performed by an all-star, all-American cast in this BBC co-production.An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:Stacy Keach as Marcus BrutusJohn de Lancie as CassiusRichard Dreyfuss as Marc AntonyHarold Gould as CaesarJack Coleman as CascaJoBeth Williams as PortiaBonnie Bedelia as CalphurniaKelsey Grammer as MurellusJohn Randolph as Flavius/ArtemidorusArye Gross as OctaviusAdditional voices by Paul Winfield, John Vickery, Basil Langton, David Birney, George Murdock, James Morrison, Andrew White, Rudy Hornish, Lee Arenberg, Jon Matthews, Josh Fardon, Paul Mercier, Arthur Hanket and Marnie Mosiman.Directed by Martin Jenkins. Recorded in KCRW's studios in Santa Monica, CA.