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Title: Every Now and Then
Producer: Voices in the Wind
Type: Drama
Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Romance
Rating: AD-G*
Availability: Free – Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre
Greetings, Audionauts – Captain Radio here, sponsored by RØDE Microphones, with a review of Every Now and Then from David Farquhar and Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre.
While shopping for a friend’s wedding gift, young marrieds Frank and Diane (respectively voiced by Hollywood television and audio veteran Gregg Rainwater and by Noelle Dupuis) seem close to drawing serious lines in the sand when unruffled antique store owner, Mr. Sagan (voiced by Norm McLeod) sensibly intervenes to smooth things over:
[SOUND BYTE]
Deciding to give the shop a chance, Frank becomes intrigued with an old gramophone. Mr Sagan demonstrates its use before escorting Diane elsewhere to browse. Frank sits in an old nearby chair to remove a pebble from his shoe and suddenly experiences the first of several shocking and disorienting reciprocal transitions.
Listen to producer David Farquhar begin to show off a bit of sound engineering skill as he transports us instantly from a creeky, squeaky antique shop to the middle of a bustling street totally somewhere else:
[SOUND BYTE]
Perhaps the persistent shocks keep Frank a little slow on the uptake, not realizing as we do that the chair and the gramophone together control his continuous time sliding between now and 1903. There he exists as Johnny, a young family man leaving on a fateful sea voyage with Diane’s oblivious Edwardian era lookalike, Mabel, and their hauntingly lovely and enchanting young daughter, Virginia (voiced by Alexandra Poole).
Gradually, and understandably, Frank’s hold on reality loosens. Which reality is reality? Yet, his heart finds manifold reasons to cherish his loved ones regardless when they exist, especially spell-binding, innocent Virginia.
The tranquil trip is suddenly marred by a raging storm. Frightened, Virginia asks her father to tell one of the strange tales that he shares with her alone about how things will be when she is an “old lady”:
[SOUND BYTE]
On deck moments later, tragically separated from Mabel and facing the storm’s full fury, the pair desperately clings to each other as Farquhar’s thunderous audio background and award-winning script writer George Zarr’s emotional story simultaneously peak:
[SOUND BYTE]
Even if Every Now and Then might seem a bit nostalgic for jaded modern tastes, listeners will enjoy the mystery, growing suspense, and redemption of heartbreak in the end.
The play itself has a somber footnote. When Farquhar originally conceived an artifact-centered story, he at first collaborated on a script with Erin Connelly, a public radio audio drama rising star and gifted artist in many other ways. Following the shock of Erin’s sudden tragic death in a car accident before completing the script, the project drifted.
[SOUND BYTE]
Eventually, Radio Works’ Sue Zizza recommended that Farquhar bring George Zarr’s experience and craft aboard both to finish the script and to direct the final production. Zarr completed the script at his New York home before flying to Chatham, Ontario. There the play was performed and recorded in about three days utilizing Rainwater and a clearly talented and empathetic cast of local actors.
Zarr went on to script nearly a half dozen more audio dramas for Design Sound Productions as it gradually morphed into today’s Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre.
Listen to David Farquhar’s Every Now and Then at the Captain Radio™ Audio Drama Showcase, or hear it and other Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre productions at VoicesInTheWind.ca
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Until next time, Audionauts, this is Captain Radio™, signing off!
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Captain Radio™ Reviews David Farquhar’s Every Now and Then from Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre
* Rating based on the Audio Drama Directory Ratings System.
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