Here are some audio stories I recommend, because they're so timelessly good. This list is an extension of The Circular Edition 42: Sound rich listening.
Sound rich listening…Part II
Review of Borgen, Power and Glory on Netflix: did the series lose touch with its feminine side?
When this revival series got the Netflix makeover, which is to say its drama polished for international appeal, it lost some the humanity that made the original three seasons wistfully exciting, romantically brave, and what felt to me like an authentic portrayal of a woman in power.
Review of The Cleaner on BBC/Britbox: therapy of sorts…
The first season of The Cleaner is the perfect binge on rainy weekends. At times totally wacky, always spectacularly gory and insistently puerile, this comedy series is enjoyable because each episode features a character whose transformation feels uplifiting, even though the narratives are sometimes hit and miss.
Review of Drama-Sutra by Nautanki Theatre: Indian and Chindian stories
All our stories belong to all Australians. All our stories should have equal value. That's why these three plays by South Asian diaspora playwrights Sonal Moore, Kevin Bathman and Roanna Gonsalves are so precious, and resonated with me.
Review of Glow Season 1 on Netflix: storytelling in the Trump era
GLOW is fabulous entertainment with crisp, witty dialogue and unexpectedly affecting poignant moments, like the emotionally intimate scenes between sleazy director Sam and the protagonist Ruth. Yet GLOW avoids being too earnestly up its own arse by being fun and just downright silly most of the time.
Review of Podcast Missing Richard Simmons: it’s no S-Town
Unlike many of my esteemed radio producer colleagues, I really liked the 6 part podcast series Missing Richard Simmons by Dan Taberski.
The end of PocketDocs: a loss to all ears
Of the gazillion podcasts that now jostle for our audio attention, PocketDocs is one of the most professionally produced, always surprising, artistically sound shows in the English language. Given time, its back catalogue will become a listening room treasure trove, like a bottomless fridge of audio morsels.
MASAKO FUKUI 