Coen Brothers and Charlie Kaufman Radio Drama: Theater of the New Ear

Sawbones by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen:

I’m not sure how I missed this, but back in August of 2005 Sirius Satellite Radio “aired” Theater of the New Ear, two radio dramas recorded live at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York.

The first radio drama is Sawbones, written and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Both radio dramas were recorded in front of a live audience, with actors in front of microphones and composer Carter Burwell conducting a band onstage. Sawbones is essentially two stories happening at once. First, there is the television show “Sawbones”, based on Veterinarian Varlan Smith (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the coward Frank McCready (Steve Buscemi). Second, there is the drama of those watching the television show. Including that of a traveling vacuum salesman (John Slattery) and a dysfunctional married couple (John Goodman and Brooke Smith). It’s brilliant and odd. You can download or stream the radio drama by following the link below:

Hope Leaves the Theater by Charlie Kaufman

The second installment of Theater of the New Ear is Charlie Kaufman’s Hope Leaves the Theater. Now, this one is just straight-up nuts! Instead of following the drama of those watching television, we’re now following the inner and outer thoughts of a woman named Louise (Hope Davis) going through a mid-life crisis, a theater critic (Peter Dinklage) sitting next to her, and the actors on the stage (Meryl Streep) during a theater performance. And of course, all the characters converge into one coherent story until breaking back off into three and coming in-and-out of character.

I can’t even begin to explain this radio drama, seriously, it’s crazy. So it’s best you give it a listen.

Nov 15, 2008