L.A. Theatre Works presents its 12 ½ hour 1987 word-by-word recording of Sinclair Lewis’ Babbitt, starring Edward Asner in the title role accompanied by a 33-member ensemble. This release of the original NPR recording marks the novel’s centennial year in 2022.
A spokesperson for L.A. Theatre Works says, “Published in 1922, Babbitt tells the story of real estate agent George F. Babbitt and explores the vacuity and conformity of the middle class in small town, white collar America. Lewis’s epic novel, celebrated for its comic tone, satire and vivid dialogue, uniquely captures the booming 1920s and the relentless culture of American business.”
The cast also features stage and screen actors including René Auberjonois, Bonnie Bedelia, Ed Begley Jr., Georgia Brown, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jack Coleman, Bud Cort, Ted Danson, William Devane, Richard Dreyfuss, Héctor Elizondo, Fionnula Flanagan, Robert Foxworth, Harry Hamlin, Julie Harris, Helen Hunt, Amy Irving, Stacy Keach, John Lithgow, Nan Martin, Marsha Mason, Richard Masur, Marian Mercer, Joanna Miles, Holly Palance, Judge Reinhold, Franklyn Seales, David Selby, Ally Sheedy, Madolyn Smith, James Whitmore, JoBeth Williams and Michael York. Together, they voice 90 different characters.
