Newts!
5.0/5
Critic Rating
A sea captain barges into the office of a shipping merchant, dragging in a barrel of water. He’s here on business, with a humble proposition. He opens the lid and reveals a newt. Inspired by the work of Czech science fiction pioneer Karel Čapek, Newts! chronicles an alternate history of the 20th Century in which the western world discovers, exploits, educates, arms, and is ultimately overthrown by a species of highly intelligent amphibians. It’s a farcical yet deadly serious tale about self-interest and the nature of humanity, told as a six part audio drama with original music.
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Jun 13, 2022
"The tone is theatrical...this podcast is so undeniably inventive I think it could change your mind. I wanted to stand and applaud after I heard episode one. It felt like the curtain was closing on the first act to a play made from the blood, sweat and tears of a very inventive team."
Score: 5
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Jun 8, 2022
"...a seven-layer salad of influences, and a musical that leans heavily on surf-rock and the kind of lyrical storytelling associated with something like The Decemberists. Which is to say, there’s a lot going on in the eccentric, bizarro, hard-to-describe Newts. Expect sea shanties, grand theatricality, and squishy sounds standing in for the salamanders."
