Speakup not working in Ubuntu 18.04

[Kelly Prescott]

The  subject says it all.
I have installed Ubuntu 18.04 and speakup will no longer work.
I had 16.04 on this box and speakup with espeakup and soft-synth worked 
fine.
I installed 18.04 and the modules insert with complaints about module 
signing, but they are there
Espeakup is running, but no speech.
I can type espeak hello and it speaks hello
I can boot my archlinux emergency rescue key and it talks just fine.
I can play beeps and such through the speakers.
This is a totally console setup.  I do not use X on this box at all.
Is there a issue with speakup and 18.04?
If so, is there a solution or should I just install something else.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks.