Recorded in front of a live audience in Los Angeles, this full-cast, all-star production of Black’s play chronicles the efforts of the American Federation for Equal Rights to overturn Proposition 8, the state constitutional amendment that eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in California. Directed by Rob Reiner and featuring outstanding performances from the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, John C. Reilly, and Jane Lynch (just to name a few), this audiobook provides an inside look at the historical trial that overturned Prop 8. Among the standout performances are Clooney and Sheen as attorneys David Bois and Theodore B. Olson, respectively, Lynch as the fiery Maggie Gallagher, and Pitt as evenhanded Chief Judge Vaughn Walker. Educational, affecting, funny, and absolutely gripping, this important audiobook should be required listening for all Americans. (June)

Academy Award–winning screenwriter Black dramatizes the lawsuit filed by the American Federation for Equal Rights against the state of California following the passage of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The dialog comes directly from court transcripts and interviews with the plaintiffs. Rob Reiner directs a stellar cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Martin Sheen, John C. Reilly, Christine Lahti, and Jamie Lee Curtis in this live recording. This production deserves a standing ovation. (LJ 6/1/12)

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For his intensely emotional play, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (J. EDGAR) draws on actual transcripts of the 2010 trial that examined the unconstitutionality of California’s notorious Proposition 8, which eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry. At turns comical and deeply upsetting, the play is beautifully cast—from Brad Pitt’s subtle Chief Judge Walker to George Clooney’s gentlemanly attorney, Boies. Jane Lynch’s expert portrayal of Maggie Gallagher (National Organization for Marriage) is downright maddening, and Chris Colfer’s reading of Ryan Kendall will make you desperate to go home and hug your kids. But the trial isn’t the crux of this story. Instead, it is the portrayals of the Perry family (Jamie Lee Curtis, Christine Lahti, Jansen Panettiere, and Bridger Zadina) that are the most authentic, the most tender, the most crucial to understanding why everyone, regardless of political leaning, should hear this stunning production. A.H.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine