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Rank: Lieutenant-Commander
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My local comic shop just got this in today, (along with The Ghost Watcher). So I've purchased but haven't listened yet (since I'm in a marathon of Doctor Who - Season 3 audios).
I'll probably take a break from that to listen to these.
Has anyone else heard these yet, or have any opinions?
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I've got them but haven't had a chance to listen to them yet. Will post my opinions when I do get round to it.
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Well, I listened to Clothes of Sand this morning, to celebrate the first day of my summer leave from the dreaded work!
What can I say? Entrancing, delightful, entertaining and involving. And that's just for starters... I think the 'dramatic reading' idea possibly works a lot better with Dark Shadows than it does with Doctor Who, bearing in mind Dark Shadows' predeliction for atmosphere, character and the poetic. Like Lara Parker before her, Kathryn Leigh Scott makes a fine narrator and an hour and a bit in her company is a pleasure - and Alec Newman is spot on as The Sandman (and it's nice to hear from the trailer that his part in The Ghost Watcher appears to be a complete counterpoint).
On the production side, Stuart Manning's script and direction is excellent and demonstrates a real understanding of the characters, situation and the ongoing storylines of the television series. Once again, this is all backed up beautifully by Joseph Fox's exceptional incidental score.
Top notch stuff that I can do nothing more than highly recommend.
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alansteed116 wrote:...and Alec Newman is spot on as The Sandman (and it's nice to hear from the trailer that his part in The Ghost Watcher appears to be a complete counterpoint). You've got something to look forward to, IMHO, since I liked The Ghost Watcher better than the first one. Clothes of Sand was a little too much of Maggie as passive and victimized. In The Ghost Watcher she takes charge a little more. The special treat in both, though, is where Maggie tells of conversations with Roger and Caroline and Dr. Hoffman. Hearing Kathryn Leigh Scott evoke the style and cadences of Grayson Hall and Louis Edmonds was wonderful, and even with Nancy Barrett (who is less mannered than the other two were) KLS captured it perfectly.
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Yes, I liked KLS' take on Grayson Hall in Clothes of Sand. Subtle and affectionate - and not a caricature. I'll be listening to The Ghost Watcher tomorrow. Looking forward to doing so! Thanks for the positive recommendation, Waldo.
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alansteed116 wrote:Yes, I liked KLS' take on Grayson Hall in Clothes of Sand. Subtle and affectionate - and not a caricature. That was my take as well. In all the hundreds of hours they spent working together, I wouldn't wonder if they did impressions of each other from time to time. I know from experience that bands do that sort of thing when goofing off during practice.
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I just finished "Clothes of Sand", and just started "The Ghost Watcher". Stuart Manning has created such fascinating glimpses into the wonderful character of Maggie Evans! Katherine Leigh Scott is breathtaking once again as Maggie. In "Clothes...", she's the tortured girl who has survived a hellish ordeal (watch the series to see how that played out!)
I think it was brilliant to flesh out a period from the original series with some backstory that works so well within that framework, but also can be enjoyed as a new story for someone who has never seen the show! And bringing on the uber-talented and charismatic actor Alec Newman was genius. (Check out some of his films if you haven't already!) The chemistry between KLS and AN is palpable--two experts in their craft with great material and it's an hour of pure bliss. I agree wholeheartedly that KLS' interpretation of Dr. Julia Hoffman is spot-on. She gives it the perfect amount of affectation, but does not go over the top, which would be so easy to do when trying to invoke Grayson Hall! That is testament to KLS' mastery. I can't wait to get further into "The Ghost Watcher."
Only a few chapters in and we see a very different Maggie--released from her second stay at Windcliff Sanitarium, she's more world-weary and desperately longing for a life of normalcy. This story takes place AFTER the original series' run. KLS once again dazzles with an effortless reading! And this time, Alec Newman's character is VERY DIFFERENT from his first. The guy is an amazing actor! Can't wait to learn more about 'Nathan Hawkins'.
Keep up the stellar work, Big Finish!
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I always wished that Dan Curtis had shed some more light on Maggie's trips to Wincliff Sanitarium, so I was pleased to find that Clothes of Sand focused on her first trip there. She did a very talented narration and I do agree that her imitation of Grayson Hall- Julia Hoffman was an impressive tribute.
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I'm confused about one or two small details.
The first season audio episodes were numbered as the S&S ones are (1.1, 1.2, etc.), but now the two new ones with KLS are #3 and #4. Where was #2, and shouldn't they be 2.1 and 2.2?
Also #3 (Clothes of Sand) shows up as part of "Season 2" on the website, and #4 (The Ghost Watcher) as part of "Season 1."
Is this some sort of time-travel/paradox thing? :-)
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As far as I can gather, Waldo, the situation with the numbering is as follows: The full-cast dramatisations (e.g. The House of Despair) will be delivered in Seasons (i.e. 1.1 to 1.4 and 2.1 onwards), whereas the dramatic readings (e.g. The Ghost Watcher) are numbered from 1 onwards (with 1 and 2 being Angelique's Descent). It has become rather confused though, hasn't it? Even Big Finish have occasionally referred to the readings as Season 2 (and Season 1, as you point out!), when they are actually separate from the Season releases. It would be nice if they could sort this confusion out a little. 
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alansteed116 wrote:It has become rather confused though, hasn't it? Even Big Finish have occasionally referred to the readings as Season 2 (and Season 1, as you point out!), when they are actually separate from the Season releases. It would be nice if they could sort this confusion out a little. Well, now at least my confusion has now been cleared up. Thanks!
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Would be nice if these were available for download. I was told it would be in August and here it is almost September...
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Thanks alansteed, I was wondering about the counting system myself. It would help if they put a little postscript about that.
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I am obviously a bit behind in my listening but actually having waited until the darker nights has added to the atmosphere of this story.I agree that the 2 hander stories seem to suit the feel of this very well.I thought that both the descriptive passages and the more emotional character content equally worked for me and I was transported to Maggies side and could feel her despair and confusion and how torn she was as to what was the best way out of the storm of emotion that she was feeling. I did not feel that the fact that she was very much a victim in this piece in any way detracted from it but rather the fact that it was an audio production worked in its favour as we concentrated on her reactions to what must have been a very traumatic experience.While I appreciate strong female role models ,sometimes to expect someone just to shake of an experience as if nothing had happened can actually weaken the plot.I thought that the sandman had just the right amount of tension and dark magic for genre piece while still having what felt like a realistic female at its heart.
Role on Ghost Watcher
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h3l3n3 wrote:...the fact that it was an audio production worked in its favour as we concentrated on her reactions to what must have been a very traumatic experience.While I appreciate strong female role models ,sometimes to expect someone just to shake of an experience as if nothing had happened can actually weaken the plot. Very good point, and I think Maggie is strong (she talks about this in one of the full-cast audios, I believe, that she had to be strong to survive what she's been through), but she's not tough (if I can draw a distinction between toughness and real strength). She remains quite good-hearted and emotionally open, even with everything she's survived, which may actually represent more real strength than somebody who keeps everybody else at such a distance (like, oh, for example, Angelique).
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I'm going to save this until the Christmas tree is up and the fire is roaring. I'll use the Dark Shadows dramatic readings series as my christmas ghost stories. Can't beat that time of year for spooky audiobooks.
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