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  • Title: ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore
  • Author: John Ford
  • Narrator: LibriVox Volunteers
  • Length: 0.112986111
  • Version: Abridged
  • Release Date: 01-Dec
  • Publisher: LibriVox
  • Genre: Audio Theatre, Drama
  • ISBN13: SABLIB9787517

Dear fellow lovers of literature and drama,

I still remember the first time I encountered John Ford’s “‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore” during my graduate studies. The title alone raised eyebrows in our seminar room, but nothing prepared me for the shocking exploration of taboo that awaited. Years later, discovering the LibriVox audio production brought this controversial masterpiece back into my life with renewed intensity.

Running at 2 hours and 42 minutes, this complete audio version features a dedicated cast of LibriVox volunteers who tackle Ford’s challenging material with admirable commitment. Elizabeth Barr serves as both book coordinator and the voice of Annabella, the tragic female lead whose forbidden relationship with her brother Giovanni (voiced by Chuck Williamson) drives the narrative toward its bloody conclusion.

What strikes me most about this production is how effectively it captures the play’s unsettling duality. Ford’s poetic language—filled with both exquisite beauty and disturbing violence—comes alive through the varied performances. The volunteers navigate the complex emotional terrain with surprising skill, particularly in the intimate scenes between the doomed siblings.

The recording quality varies slightly between performers, as is typical with volunteer productions, but this hardly detracts from the experience. If anything, the raw, unpolished nature of certain sections enhances the play’s visceral impact. I found myself completely absorbed while listening during my evening walks, occasionally stopping in my tracks during particularly powerful moments.

What continues to fascinate me about this play is Ford’s refusal to provide easy moral judgments. Unlike his contemporaries, he presents the incestuous relationship with uncomfortable complexity, forcing listeners to confront their own reactions. The LibriVox cast honors this ambiguity, never reducing characters to simple villains or victims.

For those unfamiliar with Jacobean drama beyond Shakespeare, this production offers an accessible entry point into one of the period’s most controversial works. The cast includes Amanda Friday as Putana, Elizabeth Klett as Hippolita, and various other talented volunteers who bring Ford’s Renaissance Italian setting vividly to life.

This LibriVox recording, released in August 2013, remains a valuable addition to their extensive catalog of public domain audio dramas. For anyone interested in exploring the darker corners of Renaissance theater, it provides a compelling introduction to Ford’s provocative vision—one that continues to challenge and disturb audiences nearly four centuries after its creation.

Warmest regards,
Prof. Emily Chen