The Machine
Upton Sinclair
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Upton Sinclair is best known for his novel The Jungle, an expose of the meatpacking industry. He was also a playwright whose works for the stage reflected the same progressive viewpoints found in his other writing. In The Machine, published as part of Sinclair's 1912 collection Plays of Protest, Socialist activists show a rich man's daughter the truth about the society in which she has been raised. (Summary by wildemoose)
Cast:
Julia Patterson, a magazine writer: Elizabeth Klett
Jack Bullen, a parlor Socialist: Dale Burgess
Laura Hegan, Hegan's daughter: Arielle Lipshaw
Allan Montague, a lawyer: Bellona Times
Jim Hegan, the traction king: ToddHW
Annie Roberts, a girl of the slums: Lucy Perry
Robert Grimes, the boss: John Steigerwald
Andrews, Hegan's secretary: Max Körlinge
Parker, a clerk: Marty Kris
Narrator: Linette Geisel
Audio edited by: Arielle Lipshaw
(1 hr 39 min)
Chapters
| Act 1 | 30:48 | Read by LibriVox Volunteers |
| Act 2 | 36:01 | Read by LibriVox Volunteers |
| Act 3 | 32:22 | Read by LibriVox Volunteers |
Reviews
Relevant today! Critique of Necrocapitalism
Anna Griffin
So interesting that this is over 100 years old but it contains the same tragic elements in play today - exploitation of the masses for profit and corruption of the state and its apparatus (legislative, executive and judicial). Just like an episode of The Wire (hit television series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire) which also has individual characters interacting with broken systems as part of an unending chain 😢 Good voice actors - thank you for your work as always I would never have 'read' this myself - thank you libravox 👏👏👏👏 I enjoyed Elizabeth Klett in Dracula also - another great recording. Upton Sinclair was fantastic. If you find this interesting listen to The Jungle read by Tom Weiss. It's a saga filled with beautifully articulated truths.
Beautifully Read
Ellen
The readers breathe life into the characters. While I found the play itself to be good but not outstanding, the readers kept me engaged until the very end. All in all, an enjoyable listen.
Wolfrum
This was a well done and short play, which features an moral, political and ethical awakening of a young woman—daughter of a corrupt capitalist. Interesting listen.