"Dog" is at the center of a family power play in Richard Russo's tale, read by Stephen Lang. Next, the English satirist Saki makes the fur fly in his classic tale of the talking cat "Tobermory" read by René Auberjonois. Our third work is a how-to guide to living like a cat, Helen Ellis's "Take it From Cats," voiced by Maria Dizzia. Finally, an eerie reversal of fortune in "Rosalyn's Dog," by Arthur Bradford, read by John Benjamin Hickey.
"Dog" is at the center of a family power play in Richard Russo's tale, read by Stephen Lang. Russo is the author the novels Nobody’s Fool, Empire Falls, Everybody’s Fool; Trajectory: Stories; and The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writing, Writers and Life, among many other works. Stephen Lang is a long-time reader for Selected; on Broadway he appeared in “Speed of Darkness,” “Defiance,” and “Wait Until Dark.” His extensive film career includes celebrated performances in “Gods and Generals” and “Avatar,” and recent appearances in “Hostiles” and “Braven.” On television he has a featured role in “Into the Badlands.”
Next, the English satirist Saki makes the fur fly in his classic tale of the talking cat "Tobermory" Saki was the pseudonym of Hector Hugh Munro (1870 - 1916), a writer and journalist born in Burma. He wrote The Rise of the Russian Empire and the novel The Unbearable Bassington, but is best known for his short stories. His collections include Reginald, The Chronicles of Clovis, Beasts and Super-Beasts, and The Square Egg and Other Sketches. He died in combat in World War I.
“Tobermory” is deliciously voiced by another Shorts leading man, René Auberjonois. Auberjonois won the Tony Award for his role in the musical “CoCo” and was nominated for the “City of Angels,” “Big River,” and “The Good Doctor.” Among his film credits are “M.A.S.H.,” “The Patriot,” “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” and “The Player.” He starred in the television series “Benson,” for which he received an Emmy nomination, and has appeared in “The Good Wife,” “Masters of Sex,” “Criminal Minds,” and “Madame Secretary.” He also starred as Odo and directed a number of episodes of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Auberjonois is a founding member of the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.
Our third work is a how-to guide to living like a cat: Helen Ellis's "Take it From Cats." Ellis is the author of American Housewife, Eating the Cheshire Cat, and What Curiosity Kills. "Take it From Cats” is read by Maria Dizzia, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play).” She has appeared onstage in “Uncle Vanya,” “Cradle and All,” “The Hallway Trilogy,” “The Drunken City,” “Eurydice,” “Belleville,” and “If I Forget.” Her film and television credits include “While We’re Young,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “The Other Woman,” “Royal Pains,” “Orange Is the New Black,” and “13 Reasons Why.”
This program concludes with an eerie reversal of fortune in "Rosalyn's Dog," by Arthur Bradford, read by John Benjamin Hickey. Bradford is the author of the collections Dogwalker and Turtleface and Beyond. His stories have appeared in Esquire, McSweeney’s, Zoetrope, and Tin House.
John Benjamin Hickey is a Tony Award-winning actor (“The Normal Heart”) whose other stage work includes “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “The Crucible.” On television he had a featured roles in “The Big C” and “Manhattan,” and has also appeared in “Difficult People,” “The Good Fight,” and “Mom,” among others. Recent film work includes “Hostiles,” “Forever My Girl,” and “Mapplethorpe.”
