Showing results by narrator "Alan Weyman" in All Categories

A visit to the Royal Collection of Charles I at the Royal Academy, 26th March 2018. Viewing works by Rubens, van Gyck, Mantegna, and Holbein, with comments and responses of the spectators.

Samuel Butler, although an evolutionist (but not of the Darwinian kind), postulated a radical theory about God as both known and unknown, suggesting a kind of creative energy throughout the universe. His ideas are somewhat gnostic, though they don't fall into any one camp. Here is Butler's book, God Known and God Unknown in a new format, with an astute review of Butler's God that was written after Butler's death and published in 1918.

Frank Wedekind (1864-1918) was the most controversial dramatist of his age. Most of his work focuses on the ubiquity and inevitably corrupting influence of sexual attraction. His most famous plays are the two that depict the rise, fall, and eventual gruesome death of the vampish Lulu, who, in Wedekind’s presentation, became a ghastly parody of Goethe’s “Eternal Feminine”. The first of the plays is Earth Spirit, in which Lulu marries and survives three husbands, only to face prosecution for the shooting of the third.

Two very short stories from the master of the witty turn of phrase and of narrative.

If you had discovered a way to become invisible, would it bring you tremendous power? Or tremendous problems?

This beautiful collection contains five fairy tales by the celebrated British writer Oscar Wilde: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket." These timeless tales are performed by a full cast, and will delight listeners of all ages with their whimsical characters, moving situations, and touches of ironic humor. Presented by The Online Stage.

The Online Stage presents Shakespeare’s most famous and most quoted play, a revenge drama which explores the inevitable conflict between conscience and justice, between morality and obligation. The tragedy arises, not from an obvious weakness in the character of Hamlet, but rather from his inability to deal with an apparently insoluble moral dilemma.

Listeners are invited to sit back and enjoy this collection of classic Yuletide tales....

A childhood nemesis. A threat seemingly from beyond the grave. Murder by Monday.... A mysterious letter sends Carl Brooke and Rutherford Nordlinger off to the aid of a man who, accused of murder, is now threatened by the man he is said to have killed. This is the sixth novella in the Agora series. Each Agora mystery is a complete and standalone mystery; however, some listeners prefer hearing the stories in order.

This collection contains Oscar Wilde's four best-known comedies: The Importance of Being Earnest; Lady Windermere's Fan; An Ideal Husband; and A Woman of No Importance. All of them satirize upper-class English society of the 1890s, dramatizing scandalous secrets, political and marital intrigue, and dandyish bad behavior with Wilde's trademark wit and wisdom.

The Life and Death of King John was probably written in the 1590s but not published until the First Folio in 1623. Of Shakespeare's 11 history plays, King John is the one which deals with the story of a monarch most removed from Shakespeare's time. The historical remoteness of this ruler, and also the fact that he had no genealogical links with the Tudor dynasty, enabled Shakespeare to present him in a warts and allà fashion.

When Lord Arthur learns of his awful destiny, how will he deal with the consequences? As this is Wilde, it's not what you might expect.

When a dragon turns up in the English countryside, can the boy who befriends him help him avoid the threatened showdown with Saint George?

A strange happening when a business arrangement goes awry. From In Ghostly Company, published 1921.

A vacation in a quiet country spot; what could possibly go wrong? From Northcote's collection In Ghostly Company published in 1921.

Everything in the world revolves around just him. Or does it? A moral fable on delusions of self-importance. First published 1888 in The Happy Prince and Other Tales.

A moral fable on true and fake friendship. Hugh the Miller is little Hans's best friend...or is he? First published in 1888 in The Happy Prince and Other Tales.

The little Swallow befriends the Happy Prince's statue and learns what love is. One of Wilde's magical morality tales.

This is a fable about real and fake love, with a typically Wildean twist.

An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedy by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honor. The action is set in London, and takes place over the course of 24 hours.