Try free for 30 days

Preview

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.

Beat the Devil

By: David Hare, Donald Katz - Introduction
Narrated by: David Hare
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $9.99

Buy Now for $9.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

In the spring of 2020, as the world grappled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic, acclaimed British screenwriter and playwright David Hare was struck down by the virus himself.

With brutal honesty, sharp humor, and his trademark insight, the renowned writer of modern classics like Skylight and Plenty brings us into his own experience battling the bizarre and terrifying symptoms of Covid-19. But Hare's masterful storytelling transforms his personal odyssey into a universal reckoning on life's fragility and preciousness–and the shared trauma we must grapple with in the virus’s aftermath.

Originally premiered at the Bridge Theatre in London in August 2020, this searing monologue was the first production to proudly reopen the West End to theatergoers after lockdown. Now, this powerful solo performance comes to Audible with a special introduction from Audible Founder Don Katz, allowing listeners to intimately experience one of our era's preeminent creative voices as he ruminates on mortality, resilience, and love.

Audio includes an exclusive interview with Don Katz and David Hare at the end of the program.

©2024 David Hare (P)2024 AO Media, LLC

Editorial Review

Reflecting on the dark, early days of the pandemic
The legendary English playwright David Hare reopened the West End theatre scene following the COVID-19 pandemic with a personal one-man show about his own experience fighting the disease while the government scrambled only to spectacularly fail in their response. While Ralph Fiennes took to the stage back in 2021, Hare performs his own work here, providing a nuanced delivery filled with exasperation, rage and even humour. Beat the Devil took me back to the early days of the pandemic in a way I never could have predicted I would want. There's an almost delicious quality here; I was riveted by morbid nostalgia. You recognise this world, and you are grateful it is now history but you also can't look away, driven by a need to revisit a shared trauma. Moving and heartfelt, bracing and funny, this is a concentrated time capsule that everyone should listen to. —Emily C., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Beat the Devil

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.