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Alan Bennett: Plays
- BBC Radio Dramatisations
- Narrated by: John Gielgud, Maggie Smith, Patricia Routledge
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
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Alan Bennett: Plays
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Summary
A unique collection of 12 full-cast BBC Radio productions of plays by Alan Bennett.
The titles are:
- 40 Years On
- A Visit from Miss Prothero
- Say Something Happened
- Kafka's Dick
- Two in Torquay
- The Madness of George III
- The History Boys
- An Englishman Abroad
- A Question of Attribution
- The Lady in the Van
- Cocktail Sticks and the Last of the Sun
The cast includes John Gielgud, Patricia Routledge, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Judi Dench, Thora Hird, Alex Jennings and many more.
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What listeners love about Alan Bennett: Plays
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Edwin
- 29-09-16
Plays by Alan Bennett
This is a collection of Alan Bennett plays. Some of them better known than others acted by the usual cast of players including Thora Hurd so lovers of Alan Bennett won't be disappointed.
But the really irritating thing about this Audible presentation, and the fault presumably lies with Audible, is that none of the plays are individually listed in the contents. So if you want to listen to Kafka's Dick for instance you have to trawl through over 20 "chapters" until you hit on the right one that announces after 30 sec of theme music that you are now listening to Kafka's Dick. Really irritating and if I had known before hand this was how the download was organised I would not have purchased it.
106 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- "scarlioni"
- 26-07-20
Track Listings
Great collection. As others have mentioned, there are no track listings, making navigating tricky. So here they are:
Forty Years On:
Chapters 1 - 4
A Visit from Miss Prothero:
Chapter 5
Say Something Happened:
Chapter 6
Kafka's Dick:
Chapters 7 & 8
Two in Torquay:
Chapter 9
Introduction to The Last of the Sun/Tribute to Thora Hird (pt.1):
Chapter 10
The Last of the Sun:
Chapter 11
Thoughts on The Last of the Sun/Tribute to Thora Hird (pt.2):
Chapter 12
The Madness of George III:
Chapters 13 & 14
The History Boys:
Chapter 15 & 16
An Englishman Abroad:
Chapter 17
A Question of Attribution:
Chapter 18
The Lady in The Van:
Chapter 19 & 20
Cocktail Sticks:
Chapter 21
83 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Redford
- 05-12-16
A Vintage Bennett Bonanza!
Here are 12 vintage BBC dramatisations of an eclectic range of Alan Bennett's plays from The History Boys and The Madness of George lll, to his exploration of Guy Burgess and Anthony Blunt and The Lady in the Van and, for me the most poignant, the autobiographical Cocktail Sticks. Wide-ranging, they are all bound together by Bennett's ability to make great and banal events equally moving and involving, to see into lives and minds not usually looked into, and to convey the aching voids and disappointments in characters' lives in a single phrase or piece of dialogue. ('Why didn't I have a childhood?' he asks his doing-her-best, inadequate mother.)
Bennett can always inject humour into scenarios teetering on tragedy - be it the raving George lll, Hector the groping history teacher, demented Miss Sheppard living in the van on Bennett's land, or the old lady trapped in an old people's home by her bossy daughter. The autobiographical plays featuring his own stumbling adolescence ('Girls always felt safe with me - probably because they were.') and the achingly painful but affectionate lives of his parents (his mother so ashamed of the smell of fat when 'Dad,' a butcher, made dripping twice a week in the basement) with his mother's ultimate dementia make unforgettable listening. The themes may sound depressing, but their humanity lifts them above it.
And then it's not just the words but the performances from the full casts of the cream of stage actors including Thora Hird (to whom Bennett includes a fitting eulogy), Maggie Smith, Patricia Routledge, John Gielgud, Alex Jennings. They are, everyone of them, quite simply, the best - and there is some lovely singing too. Whilst listening to these plays I miss the inlay card in CDs which would have given me the titles of the plays and the cast lists. The introductions on the download are perfunctory and rushed - enough to confuse a listener not already familiar with them.
Alan Bennett's newest instalments of his Diaries, Keeping On Keeping On 2005-2014, is available as a download from Audible, but lasting only 2hours 16minutes it can give only a taste of the 736page book. It is read by Bennett which is a bonus, but there is plenty of Bennett's own voice on Alan Bennett Plays too - and ten hours more listening than the Diaries.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-08-16
The greatest living playwright.
Sentiment without sentimentality, wit without smartaleckary. Mr Bennett is a master of turning the commonplace into the fascinating.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Squarepusher Fan
- 07-08-16
Bennett Bliss
Fans of Alan's work will need little prompting to download this collection of radio plays broadcast on Radio 4. There is probably something new here for everyone, as well as something very familiar that will bring much pleasure on being reheard. A more serious work "forty years on" not all of which I was able to follow begins the collection with the cast including John Gielgud. There are several plays featuring Dame Thora Hird more reminiscent of the "Talking Heads" series of monologues. One of Alan's hits, "the history boys" works very well in the Radio adaptation although I've seen it on stage and the film with the familiar cast includes James Cordon and Richard Griffiths. The final autobiographical pieces centred around his parents and feature Alan himself as well as Alex Jennings playing 'him'. Thinking of my own mother who was also a product of North Yorkshire trying to adapt to Southern sophistication Bennet's work brought me close to tears.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jean Trueman
- 15-09-16
A joy to listen to
Alan Bennett is a National treasure and I hope he goes on writing plays and stories for ever. He has a real insight into what we humans are all about and conveys it thoughtfully.
The actors taking part in this audiobook played their parts extremely well and with clarity. Particularly touching was the author's homage to the late and much missed Thora Hird.
Listen to all the plays as they all have something different to offer. A real treat
8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- John
- 25-10-16
Alen Bennett at his best
He really gets into the heart of people his love of words make it a joy any time he makes people live in your mind
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- JohnK9500
- 15-08-16
Entertaining listening
Some brilliant story's though one or two I struggled with probably make more sense listening to them again, on the whole very enjoyable.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- fullmontyboy
- 08-12-16
Brilliant
Loved the whole audiobook. All wonderful performances. Would readily recommend any of his plays etc.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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- Book Lover
- 20-02-22
No chapter headings
Once again the listener is left to work out where each story starts - please can we have chapter headings Audible!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Paul
- 07-08-18
Great value but poorly presented on Audible
Original BBC radio productions
Only wish Audible had individual titles instead of numbered halters which makes navigating very difficult and confusing since there’s no sleeve notes or tracklisting
15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Hada
- 12-12-18
Great Yarns, well told/acted
I only ever knew Alan Bennett from his appearances in things on TV — Beyond the Fringe, chatting with Parkinson. I may vaguely have known he was a writer. But of what, I could not have told you. When I selected one of two other Audible titles, I was told I “might like” this set of BBC Radio Plays. And boy, were they right! A couple have been made into movies — which I’ve heard of but hadn’t yet seen. Now, I think I’ll search those out, especially The History Boys and The Lady in the Van. And now, I’ve downloaded another set of Alan Bennett writings. Short stories, I believe. Can’t wait!
7 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Eva Musick
- 15-09-20
Disappointed
I knew some of the narrators so I thought I'd like it but I was mistaken. The underlying tone of the first play was too much for me to even want to try finishing it.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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- Charisma
- 31-12-22
Ladies of a certain age…
I liked how this series of plays/ dramatizations seemed to be so much about older women. It’s a space often ignored, and A. Bennett keeps it center stage with consummate finesse. There is humor with understanding, and I think the playwright’s affection shines through quite movingly.