Dark Adventure Radio Theatre® - Mad Science

This DART episode is full of the fun small stories written by Lovecraft. The props are as always amazingly crafted and the voice acting is out of this world, I might mean that literally.

I really enjoyed this anthology episode. Especially the combined the electric execution and the beyond. These were tied together well and formed almost a new story. The others were entertaining as well. Loving these adaptations of Lovecraft's stories.

Portmanteau horror compilations have a long history, in movies and comic books, for instance, for all they can be hit-and-miss affairs sometimes, with weaker stories propped-up by stronger ones, or the framing-sequence narrator’s darkly humorous remarks. This DART-adapted quartet of shorter Lovecraftian tales, chosen here for their thematic implausible science, make for an interesting mix, touching on astronomy, entomology and electrical engineering particularly. The inclusion of Pinkerton’s Detective Agency, while accurate to the original “Electrical Executioner” story, adds its own level of genuine modern horror now, given events connecting said real-world Agency with the card and roleplaying gaming communities in early 2023. Production quality for both audio and physical props with this set is of the excellent level expected from the HPLHS, the props especially teasing-out some of the less familiar visual and locational aspects, with the complete 1921 Convention programme booklet for the American Institute of Electrical Engineers a notable delight. The story revisions work well in general too, even if I found “Winged Death” a little less impactful than my original reading of the tale years ago, which had more claustrophobic paranoia about it to me then, at least. Overall though, another most enjoyable addition to the DART portfolio.

DART just keeps making excellence seem easy. Mad Science is yet another outstanding production with superb acting, fantastic Foley effects, and props so realistic they make you feel like the story could have actually happened. What a treasure! Sean, Andrew, and the entire DART troop are wonderful and it shows with every story the produce. Bravo Zulu.

The DART radio plays are a great way to fill in a spare hour. Well-produced by professional voice actors, musicians, and sound/special effects, they are top quality entertainment that absolutely capture the ambience of the 1930’s. I’ve now bought at least 6-8 and will get them all in the end. Being in Australia, I usually just get the digital download to avoid shipping costs, but the one I bought as a CD and props was fantastic. HPLHS props are just SO good.I love these plays!
Kim W.