Satire
The Bab Ballads
The Bab Ballads are a collection of light verse by W. S. Gilbert, illustrated with his own comic drawings. Gilbert wrote the Ballads before …
The Satyrs of Decimus Junius Juvenalis
16 satires in verse of the celebrated classical poet of the 1st and 2nd Century translated into verse by John Dryden an English satirist of …
The Admirable Crichton
From the author of Peter Pan:Lord Loam, a British peer, considers class divisions to be artificial. He promotes his views during tea-parties…
Mr. Punch's Pocket Ibsen
These short comic parodies of five well-known tragedies by Henrik Ibsen originally appeared in Punch, the British humor magazine. From the p…
The Impromptu of Versailles
The setup here is that Moliere and his troupe have been sent for by the King to come perform at Versailles. But instead of the piece they ha…
Trivia, or The Art of Walking the Streets of London
John Gay's Trivia is a satirical guide to walking the streets of London, written in mock heroic style. Learn how to avoid pickpockets, wig t…
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
In Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions—written by Edwin Abbott Abbott—readers are presented with a question. What if the world were flat?…
The Big Drum
Another Pinero play. Biting satire this time, ironic comedy - not a farce. The Big Drum, a novel being written by Phil, one of the main char…
The Rehearsal
A satirical play poking fun at the overblown tragedies produced in the time of the Restoration, first staged in 1671. It uses the device of …
The World of Fashion
This Victorian-era dramedy was adapted by playwright/critic John Oxenford from Eugene Scribe and Ernst Legouvé’s “Les doigts de f&eac…
H.M.S. Pinafore
In this recording, one person reads the entire play, all parts, including the stage directions. Even without the support of Arthur Sullivan…
On A Shadow In A Glass
Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet and cleric who …
The Tenth Cow
When Teddy Kagan finds a pure red heifer (heifer: a young, virgin cow) on the Florida ranch of a TV evangelist, he knows - because he knows …
Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy
Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy offers a collection of sharp and witty reflections on life in the early 20th century, penned by the renowne…
Dryden vs Shadwell
Throughout history there have been many creative artists whose fame depends largely on their association with a much greater artist. Such th…
Prejudices
Mencken is famous for his sometimes-savage attacks on almost everything humans can in their stupidity and priggishness and prejudice conjure…
The Henry Morgan Show
Caustic half-hour satires by the cantankerous comedian and future "I've Got a Secret" panelist.
Don Quixote in England
"The Audience, I believe, are all acquainted with the Character of Don Quixote and Sancho. I have brought them over into England, and i…
Bob and Ray
In this episode of Bob and Ray, originally aired on December 27th, 1973, the first day of filming is filled with comedic mishaps as Harry st…
The Red Room
A young idealistic civil servant, Arvid Falk, leaves the drudgery of bureaucracy to become a journalist and author. As he explores various s…