Take a chance and visit Our Fair
City. I did.
The only description I found of
this show is on www.audiodramadirectory.com and it didn’t really answer
the question “will I like this?”
The show’s website, www.ourfaircity.com,
does not provide any description. It does, however, have an interesting comic
book version of the story.
In all fairness, Our Fair City
isn’t easy to describe. A mix of comedy, parody, science fiction, and serious
drama, the show highlights some very recognizable flaws in our society.
The plot follows intertwined paths
of colorful characters in a future world who are each coping with family,
career, love, and morality, all within a self-contained city consisting of ‘The
Tower’ where the elite live, the Tunnels where most others live, and the
Lightning Rigs which float above the city to gather electricity from storms.
Set in what was once Hartford,
Connecticut, the world has become a bleak wasteland with the city/corporation
of HartLife (not to be confused with the real Hart Life Corporation) as the
only world the characters have ever known. The Corporation controls,
manipulates, and dictates every aspect of their lives. However, people being
basically self-serving, complete control is never really possible.
There are larger than life heroes
and villains; families with family issues; and the mole people, human/mole hybrids
who are uniquely likable workers for the Corporation. The characters are
endearing, and the acting is superb. The writing quality is stellar, and
meticulous care went into the audio editing.
The tone is set by the purple prose
of a narrator (Ansel Burch) who frequently slips into alliteration and gradually
exposes himself to be an unreliable witness of history with his over-the-top
allegiance to the Corporation.
Over the course of the first six
seasons (season 7 is just starting), we learn the fascinating culture of Hart
Life, and the challenges faced by its citizens which are recognizable analogies
of things we all take for granted in our own world. An intricate backstory
gradually appears, providing logical explanations for how things got this way.
In fact, the longer I listen to the show, the less farfetched it seems.
Our Fair City is a remarkable
achievement for the Chicago based team. The cast and crew is huge, with vast
experience in theater, and performing arts. There is so much to say about them,
I will simply refer you to their website, www.ourfaircity.com and the facebook page, www.facebook.com/ourfaircityradio,
where you can find bios, comics, photos and lots more.
This is one of the best and most
entertaining audio dramas. So, please, take a chance and visit Our Fair City.
Thanks for all the reviews. It takes forever to try out different podcasts just to see which ones are worth sticking with. All that you recommended so far have been really good. And I like that you don't just cut and paste the shows own advertisement like podcast directories do.
ReplyDeleteH. Cervantes