The Birthmark (radio)

“The Birthmark” is a program from the American radio anthology series Radio Tales. The anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature for the radio. The series was a recipient of numerous awards, including four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television (in 2004, [ [http://www.awrt.org/press-releases/2004/Press_Release_%20Announce_Winners.pdf "AWRT Press Release"] AWRT.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] 2003, [ [http://www.npr.org/about/press/030402.gracie.html "NPR Productions Win Gracie Allen Awards"] NPR.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] 2001, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20011126020253/www.awrt.org/awards/2000GracieWinners.html "2001 Gracie Allen Award Winners"] AWRT.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] and 1998 [Hear Here: "Tales by American Masters". AudioFile Magazine, pg. 8, Feb/March 1999, Vol. 7, No. 5.] ) a New York Festivals WorldMedal, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207122048/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/res/pdf/2004RPwinners.pdf "2004 Winners, Radio Programming and Promotion, New York Festivals"] NewYorkFestivals.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] and a Golden Reel Merit Award. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20010802161539/www.nfcb.org/2001reelsinfo.html "NFCB Announces 2001 Golden Reel Award Winners"] NFCB.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008] “The Birthmark" program from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of the story, “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Broadcast History

The Radio Tales production of “The Birthmark” was first broadcast via National Public Radio on Dec. 15, 1998. [National Public Radio: "NPR NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 1998". NPR Marketing, Oct. - Dec. 1998, Vol. IV, No. III] The program encompassed two half-hour installments that were distributed to NPR member stations as part of the NPR Playhouse cultural series. Since November 28th, 2002, the entire Radio Tales series has aired in reruns on the Sonic Theater channel (163) of the XM Satellite Radio service. [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.] “The Birthmark” program debuted on XM Satellite Radio on December 13, 2003.

Production Information

The program was produced and script edited by series producer Winnie Waldron, who also served as the on-air host. [ [http://www.winifredphillips.com/wp_bio.html "Winifred Phillips Official Site: Biography"] Winifredphillips.com. Accessed May 19, 2008.] Composer Winifred Phillips created over fifty-six minutes of music for the program, and also performed as the featured actress. [ [http://www.mninter.net/~jstearns/nprPH.html#top "NPR Playhouse - January - March, 2001"] MNinter.net. Accessed March 21, 2008.] “The Birthmark” was part of the third year of Radio Tales on NPR Playhouse. [National Public Radio: "NPR NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 1998". NPR Marketing, Oct. - Dec. 1998, Vol. IV, No. III]

Media

The Radio Tales production of “The Birthmark” was published on audiocassette by Durkin Hayes Publishing Ltd in 1998 as a part of both its “DH Audio” and “Paperback Audio” lines (ISBN 0886468876), [ [http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Mark-Nathaniel-Hawthorne/dp/0886468876/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1223728829&sr=11-1 "Amazon.com: The Birth Mark: Nathaniel Hawthorne: Books"] Amazon.com. Accessed October 11, 2008.] to coincide with the broadcast premiere of the program via National Public Radio. Since that time, the Radio Tales production of “The Birthmark” has been available in numerous formats and venues, including burn-on-demand CDs manufactured and distributed by MP3.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031129193548/artists.mp3s.com/artists/33/npr_radio_tales.html "MP3.com: Radio Tales"] MP3.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] and Ampcast.com. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060212003627/http://www.ampcast.com/music/25229/artist.php "Ampcast.com: Radio Tales"] Ampcast.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] Beginning in 2005, programs from the series, including “The Birthmark” program, have been available for download via the Audioville.co.uk web site. [ [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=577&ProductCategoryId=59 "audioVille | Stor>>Fiction | Radio Tales | Download Audio Books, Podcasts and more in MP3. Comedy, Fiction, sport, news, science, drama."] Audioville.co.uk. Accessed October 11, 2008.]

Critical reception

“The Birthmark” program from the Radio Tales series has been received favorably. Describing the series’ production of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark”, Indigo Books & Music wrote, “This is the spine-tingling tale of an unhealthy obsession with perfect beauty” and added that the production “includes a chilling – and award-winning – orchestral score by narrator Winifred Phillips.” [ [http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Tales-American-Masters-Birthmark-Parts-Nathaniel-Hawthorne/9780886468873-item.html?pticket=lble4555tidkib55q3b5bk55yNtiiI403hYICSxLI9ObgR1EU7k%3d] "chapters.indigo.ca: Tales by American Masters: The Birthmark Parts 1&2"] chapters.indigo.ca. Accessed October 11, 2008.]

Opening narration

Plot summary

Aylmer is a scientist who has recently married a young woman named Georgiana. She is universally admired for her beauty, which might have attained perfection were it not for the red birthmark on her left cheek, shaped like a tiny hand. Aylmer becomes obsessed with the birthmark, seeing it as an unwelcome reminder of how earthly imperfection debases every aspect of mortal life, even at its most sublimely beautiful. Georgiana recognizes how disturbed her husband is by the crimson flaw on her cheek, and his reaction causes her tremendous grief, until at last she asks him to use his knowledge of science to remove the birthmark.

Delighted by her request, Aylmer prepares an elegant boudoir in which she will live (and in which her environment will be strictly controlled for the purposes of his experiment). Dividing his time between her chamber and an adjacent laboratory, he entertains her frequently with “magic tricks”, which are actually scientific demonstrations involving projected images and other “miraculous” scientific phenomena such as a quick-growing plant and a method of photography. He boasts that he could easily turn baser metals into gold as the alchemists yearned to do, or even concoct the elixir of immortality… but he quickly adds that alchemy is not worthy of his lofty ambitions, and immortality would be more of a curse than a blessing. While Aylmer goes off to work with his laboratory assistant Aminadab, Georgiana reads the books in her husband’s library (including his own journal, which recounts many previous failures and thwarted ambitions).

At one point, Georgiana leaves the boudoir and enters Aylmer’s laboratory. She sees him in a supremely anxious state while preparing a potion over a raging furnace, and is shocked by how worried he is (since he’d always pretended to be happy and confident when he was with her). He reluctantly confesses that, unbeknownst to Georgiana, he had already treated her with other “cures” for the birthmark, without success. This potion will be his last ditch effort before admitting failure. She expresses supreme confidence in him, and leaves him to finish his work. When he brings the potion to her, she drinks it without hesitation, and falls into a deep sleep. Aylmer watches as the birthmark fades from her cheek, and his joy rises to elation. Then Georgiana awakens, and sorrowfully tells her husband that she is dying. As the birthmark disappears from her cheek, she exhales her dying breath.

References

External links

* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=577&ProductCategoryId=59 The Birthmark Streaming Audio Sample on Audioville]
* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales Streaming Audio Samples on AudioVille]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio – Information on the Sonic Theater Channel]