Seven Ages

Various

Mar 2000 · Naxos AudioBooks · Narrated by Sir Michael Caine, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, John Cleese, Catherine McCormack, and Pete Postlethwaite

About this audiobook

‘One of the best anthologies of the year… An arresting, deeply moving collection of the best of British poetry read by a star-studded cast.’ The Independent This exceptional anthology, based on Lord Owen’s published anthology Seven Ages – Poetry for a Lifetime, features many of Britain’s leading actors who have all given their services for charity. Shakespeare’s ‘seven ages’ speech (read by Sir Ian McKellen) punctuates the programme which contains over four hundred poems read by forty actors. Michael Caine reads Kipling’s ‘If’; Ralph Fiennes reads Hood’s ‘I Remember, I Remember’; John Cleese reads ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’; Pete Postlethwaite reads ‘Kubla Khan’.

About the author

John Cleese, October 27, 1939 - John Cleese was born on October 27, 1939 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England to Reginald Cleese, and insurance salesman, and Muriel Cross. He attended Cambridge University beginning in 1960 and joined the Footlights Club in his second term. In 1963, a Footlights production called "A Clump of Plinths" became so popular that the production spawned Cambridge Circus and ran in London's West End. He eventually earned his law degree from Cambridge. In 1964, the show traveled first to New Zealand and then to America for 24 performances on Broadway. By the late 60's, Cleese was established as an actor and a writer. In 1969, the BBC, looking for a new show to fill an empty time slot, coupled Cleese and pal Graham Chapman with three graduates from Oxford, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, as well as Terry Gilliam to create Monty Python's Flying Circus. The BBC produced 45 episodes which have been run and rerun over 30 years. Flying Circus became a cult classic and spawned yet another television show, "Fawlty Towers" as well as books and feature films such as "Monty Python's Life of Brian" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Cleese then came down with a debilitating flu-like illness which his doctor suggested might be psychosomatic. After working with a therapist, Cleese returned with no signs of the illness and even joined the doctor in writing two books, "Families and How to Survive Them" and "Life and How to Survive It." He went on to create training films for corporations through his company called Video Arts. These videos enabled training to be fun as well as informative. Through all of this, Cleese has demonstrated his ability to perform in all walks of life and has made a name for himself doing what he loves best.