Dark Shadows: New Audio Dramas from Big Finish

[Raineypark]

The man is in his eighties, he's been retired for years, he no longer actively participates in his former career, and he obviously enjoys his life the way he has arranged it.  He certainly had to work hard on that show while he was doing it. I don't think it's fair to suggest he hasn't done enough for his fans.

[Barnabas'sBride]

Agreed, Rainey.

He's retired and moved on ... He gave us almost five years of Barnabas on the show, for which I'm grateful. He doesn't owe anyone anything. Sure, I'd have loved for him to participate in the audio dramas but I can certainly understand why he declined.

[Janet the Wicked]

Agreed, Rainey.

He's retired and moved on ... He gave us almost five years of Barnabas on the show, for which I'm grateful. He doesn't owe anyone anything. Sure, I'd have loved for him to participate in the audio dramas but I can certainly understand why he declined.

Ain't said Mister Frid hadn't done enough for us. I know he worked his butt off at appearances and what not. Just would like to know what the big deal is about not making an effort to record his voice is all. I used to think that he would prefer to forget his days at DS, typecast a serial vampire. But now that he has a website, some of which is devoted to DS, well...why not join in the fun with his fellow actors? I don't see any harm in that.

[PennyDreadful]

  While I am disappointed he declined, he totally deserves to enjoy his retirement.  Imagine if you're in your 80s and have been happily retired for years, but then your old job calls you back in to ask you to work some more.  Maybe for him, at this point, it wouldn't be fun anymore like it is for some of the younger actors involved.  He went through a period of his life a few years back where it WAS fun to revisit DS and do one-man shows and plays, but maybe now it would just be hard for him to have fun doing this kind of thing in his 80s.

 That being said, I still can't help but wish he'd do it even if it was just once because he still has such a great voice and created a cultural icon in the role of Barnabas- but I do respect his right to remain retired and not participate if he cooses not to.

 On a related note, I wonder how they'll explain where Barnabas is in these audio dramas?  Would they DARE to  *gasp* re-cast the role?!       

[BuzzH]

On a related note, I wonder how they'll explain where Barnabas is in these audio dramas?  Would they DARE to  *gasp* re-cast the role?!

I hear Ben Cross is available, LOL!  Just kidding!  Jonathan did enough for DS both while the show was on the air and then all those Fests he went to afterwards.  Let the man fiddle w/his website and play w/his cat I say. 

To quote John Karlen from the Hollywood Fest when he and KLS were on the stage and someone asked if Jonathan would come to the 40th anniversary Fest, KLS started to say that maybe they could talk him into it and Karlen said, "Johnny ain't comin'" 

[DSReborn]

Just a quick FYI, that visitors to www.darkshadowsreborn.com can now read additional cast announcements for the first two CDs, plus listen to a preview trailer for the second CD, "The Book of Temptation".

[PennyDreadful]

That's a cool new trailer! 

[DSReborn]

http://www.darkshadowsreborn.com has been updated:

* We interview sound designer Joseph Fox about the post production and music on the new stories

Remember, if you're attending the Brooklyn Dark Shadows Festival this coming weekend - http://www.darkshadowsfestival.com - Big Finish will be there with advance copies of the first two CDs.  Plus on Saturday at 2.30pm, there will be an onstage panel about the making of the series.  Please stop by and visit our stall.

[Sunny_Collins]

While I am disappointed he declined, he totally deserves to enjoy his retirement. Imagine if you're in your 80s and have been happily retired for years, but then your old job calls you back in to ask you to work some more. Maybe for him, at this point, it wouldn't be fun anymore like it is for some of the younger actors involved. He went through a period of his life a few years back where it WAS fun to revisit DS and do one-man shows and plays, but maybe now it would just be hard for him to have fun doing this kind of thing in his 80s.

 That being said, I still can't help but wish he'd do it even if it was just once because he still has such a great voice and created a cultural icon in the role of Barnabas- but I do respect his right to remain retired and not participate if he cooses not to.

 On a related note, I wonder how they'll explain where Barnabas is in these audio dramas? Would they DARE to *gasp* re-cast the role?!

I completely agree, PennyDreadful! He has done so much for DS, and it seems like he made more appearances when the show was so popular, if he doesn't want to participate, it is quite understandable.

I too love his voice, it's just so unique, I could listen to it all day. 

I too wonder how they'll explain the absence of dear Barnabas.

IMHO, it wouldn't be the same if they chose someone else to play Barnabas. 

I think the Audio dramas should be great.

Having said all that, I sure am going to miss Barnabas not being there. 

[Miranda]

i know Jonathan is working on audios for his website, so as someone said, who knows what may happen down the road if the CD series continues.

Sorry to say, but the CDS really don't have much interest to me in that I am primarily a Barnabas/Angelique fan, so would not enjoy them with Angelique without Barnabas, but if one is say a Quentin, Maggie, Willie, or just an Angelique fan, I am sure the CDS will find a good audience with them.  I do think, though, that it is an interesting project.....

[MagnusTrask]

I'm almost positive they'd never recast.  My concern is that they may feel compelled to refer to him, and what happened to him, at some point, and therefore they'll have to decide whether Barnabas is a human being who is physically in his eighties, or someone who somehow, yet again, managed to be turned into a vampire, staying the old Barnabas physically.   Both have problems.    The first strains credulity, and the second is, I don't know, sad.

[michael c]

contains major spoilers stop reading if you don't want to know...

[spoiler]i listened to the first audiodrama last night.once i got over the initial goosepimplyness of hearing the music and those iconic voices i had a few issues with it.

i won't go into it too much plotwise but i will say that mangus trask's fears came true as they did do a re-cast for barnabas.

that is so pointless and unecessary!i know that he is supposed to be the set piece character for this whole thing but if they couldn't get frid they should have omitted him as a character.with quentin and angelique on board they could have come up with an interesting story without him(although some reference was an inevitability).to me this re-cast did a tremendous discredit to the four original actors who participated.why not just say "you guys aren't good enough".i suppose this is just a set-up to this actor playing barnabas in the next three installments of this series.but like i said so unecessary.[/spoiler]

[Nancy]

Well, we can have a friendly bet then.  I'm sure they will recreate Barnabas.  There is no reason in the world not to recreate the most popular character from the series especially in the mold where many charactrers whose creators are dead or absent from the scene and other actors are taking over the roles.  There's just not a good reason not to.  Whether or not they do will be an interesting course of speculation for us.

Nancy

I'm almost positive they'd never recast.  My concern is that they may feel compelled to refer to him, and what happened to him, at some point, and therefore they'll have to decide whether Barnabas is a human being who is physically in his eighties, or someone who somehow, yet again, managed to be turned into a vampire, staying the old Barnabas physically.   Both have problems.    The first strains credulity, and the second is, I don't know, sad.

[Sunny_Collins]

 Well, I want Barnabas to live forever, so I hope they keep him around!

Even if they get some other actor to act in the role of Barnabas, it will never be the same. I'm not saying the actor who might play him wouldn't be good, but nothing or no one can fill the shoes of Jonathan frid. IMHO, it just wouldn't be the same Barnabas without Jonathan frid!

I'm abit reluctant to read the audios if he isn't in them, but I know curiosity will eventually motivate me to read them.

Can someone who has already read them comment on them without spoilers? 

[Sunny_Collins]

Hey, I just thought of something. Are the audio dramas going to be official? What I mean is, if something happens to a character in one of the stories, say for instance Quentin, does that mean that's now part of the DS story line?