Classics Performance

The play Don Juan in Hell originated as Act 3, Scene 2, of Man and Superman and is a spirited debate between Heaven and Hell. It was written by Irish playwright and a master of social commentary George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), who is probably most famous for Pygmalion amongst his 60 plays. This famous performance features Charles Boyer as Don Juan, Charles Laughton as the Devil, Cedric Hardwicke as the Commander, and Agnes Moorehead as Doña Ana.

The Roman General Titus Andronicus returns from war with four prisoners who vow to take revenge against him. They rape and mutilate Titus' daughter and have his sons killed and banished. Titus kills two of them and cooks them into a pie, which he serves to their mother before killing her, too. The Roman emperor kills Titus, and Titus' last remaining son kills the emperor and takes his place.

A malevolent fairy casts a sleeping spell on a princess - a curse that only a prince can break. Charles Perrault's classic tale is brought to life with the music of Tchaikovsky.

Artist Dick Heldar returns to 1890's England from the war in the Sudan after sustaining eye injuries and turns to painting for a living. While his realistic paintings of scenes from the war in Sudan slowly achieve a certain popularity, he ekes a living painting romanticized portraits. Eventually, the old war injury to his eyes starts getting worse and Heldar realizes he is going blind. Before he completely loses his sight, Dick resolves to paint his masterpiece, Melancholia, using a prostitute named Bessie as a model.

As humans, we often wonder about our heroes’ (and, perhaps, our enemies’) opinions on the most assorted of topics. Mark Twain’s speech “Cigars and Tobacco” serves to satiate such curiosities. In it, he details his storied history with those two substances and his search for the “worst cigar in the New York Market.” It’s a brief treat for anyone who’s ever wondered about Twain’s tobacco consumption, or simply wants to read some miscellaneous wit from this literary master.

Le bailli impérial de Schwyz et d'Uri - au service des Habsbourg, qui tentent de réaffirmer leur autorité sur la région -, Hermann Gessler, fait ériger un mât surmonté de son chapeau, exigeant que les habitants le saluent comme s'il était effectivement présent. Guillaume Tell passe devant le chapeau en l'ignorant. Gessler le condamne alors à tirer un carreau d'arbalète dans une pomme posée sur la tête de son fils.

A classical collection of recitations by the master narrator Zia Mohyeddin. Volume 10 includes: "Angrezi Adab Para"; "Ek Tukra"; "Kuttay", by Sir Syed Ahmad; "Josh Malih Abadi"; "Nazm Noon Meem Rashid"; "Nazm Meera Jee"; "Khat Mohammad Ali Redolvi"; "Baccha Nahin Hota"; "Ghazal Nasir Kazmi"; "Al Shajri", by Azeem Baig Chughtai: "Nazm", by Noon Meem Rashid; "Ghazal", by Faiz; and "Ghazal", by Faiz and Khamooshi.

Two hardened criminals learn their plan is less than perfect when they discover the boy they’ve kidnapped is so bad, the only way his father will take him back is if they pay him a ransom.

Charles Dickens' most notorious reading from the classic Oliver Twist is performed by his Great Great Grandson Gerald Dickens. Causing ladies in the audience to faint and Dickens himself to collapse, Nancy and Sikes always shocked the audience. The drama and the passion of Nancy's murder are still as powerful and chilling as it was in Charles Dickens' time.

On ne présente plus la comtesse de Ségur, auteur des célèbres "Malheurs de Sophie" qui édifièrent des générations d'enfants. "Le Général Dourakine" est un roman pour enfants qu'elle fit publier sous forme de feuilleton en 1863 pour faire suite à "L'Auberge de l'Ange Gardien". Le roman relate les souvenirs qui ont profondément marqué la jeune Sophie, future Comtesse, notamment le servage en Russie et l'usage du knout du général envers ses serfs. Cet enregistrement original en présente les meilleurs extraits.

On ne présente plus la comtesse de Ségur, auteur des célèbres Malheurs de Sophie qui édifièrent des générations d'enfants. "Jean qui rit et Jeannot qui pleure" sont deux cousins qui quittent la Bretagne pour aller travailler à Paris. Le caractère agréable de Jean lui attire l'estime et la sympathie de tous ; malgré les bons conseils de son entourage, Jeannot cède de plus en plus à une nature canaille.

Washington Irving's classic short story performed by Ronald Colman.