cover image Selected Shorts: Even More Laughs

Selected Shorts: Even More Laughs

Read by Alec Baldwin, Stephen Colbert, Christine Baranski, Parker Posey, and others, Symphony Space, unabridged, three CDs, 3 hrs., $28 ISBN 978-1-9340-3314-2

Symphony Space and its distinguished cast bring these favorite humorous short stories to the world of recorded audio. This compilation blends classics, such as Saki's "The Schartz-Metterklume Method" (performed with sly humor by Marian Seldes) and Philip Roth's "The Conversion of the Jews" (read with verve by Jerry Zaks) with more recent works, including Miranda July's "The Swim Team" (milked for every laugh by Parker Posey). Thomas Mehan's "Ima Dream" (performed with perfect timing by Christine Baranski) and Harry Mathews's "Country Cooking from Central France" (given rather too much weight by Isaiah Sheffer) are one-line jokes that go on for too long. These entertaining stories will provide much-needed comic relief to combat winter's coming chill. and other adversities. (Oct.)