“A War Of The Worlds” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

Recommended *** Based on the late 19th century science fiction novel by H.G. Wells, today’s remake “A War of the Worlds” by Theatre in the Dark has been adapted by Corey Bradberry and Mack Gordon and updated to take place a year from now, that is, in October 2021.*

The current production, performed in streaming audio on Zoom, is no longer cast in London and South England; rather the action has shifted to Chicago and its environs. The adapters have added local color to a reimagined script with constant references to Chicago’s streets, bridges, lakefront, and elevated trains, as well as locales like Kankakee and Bourbonnais, Illinois. Bradberry serves as the director of the show, while Gordon plays H.G. Wells among other characters. In addition to Gordon, other actors include: Elizabeth McCoy as Isabel Wells, Alex Morales as Dr. Ogilvy, Ming Hudson as the Professor, and Robinson J. Cyprian and Lauren Ezzo as Swing. Although originally envisioned for live stage, “A War of the Worlds” was suddenly pivoted in an era of COVID and migrated online. The beauty of this particular production, as Bradberry states, is that the live actors are a total of 5500 miles away from each other—in Chicago, New Orleans, and Vancouver, Canada—and can seamless bridge this distance through the magic of (video) conferencing.

Most of us are familiar with the 1938 Orson Welles radio adaptation that drove listeners into a frenzy, thinking that fake news bulletins about the landing of Martians on Earth were real. That production, which was set in New York and New Jersey in 1939, was intended to scare people on Halloween eve—and it most certainly did. Back then, H.G. Wells’s “Martian cylinders” appeared to resemble zeppelins, and the travesty of the exploding Hindenburg on May 6, 1937 had occurred just a year-and-a-half before the radio broadcast. With memories of that New Jersey disaster still fresh in people’s minds (and witnessed on newsreels of the time), “The War of the Worlds” broadcast took on new horror. Visions of destruction and calamity played in the listeners’ minds as the (presumed) invasion and destruction of the planet seemed to be occurring in real time.

In the 2020 production, the core narrative from the book is merged with the medium of radio, minus the news flashes. The narrator is clearly identified as being Wells himself with his wife playing a prominent role, in contrast to the unnamed narrator and his younger brother in the original. The distinctive sound design and music add to the overall feeling of dread. Composer Ben Zucker is the creator of this extraordinary original music and the sound effects. Tonal qualities incorporating pulsing and eerie harmonies propel us to a creepy and unsettling place in our imagination and capture the fearfulness and anxiety inherent from moment to moment. As Zucker himself has said in the aftertalk, “Think of older film scores and contemporary composers… like Laurence Crane.” Additional sound design by Ross Burlingame only draws you in further into the plot.

Unfortunately, “A War of the Worlds” can no longer pack the same punch as the 1938 radio performance, no matter how cleverly designed the script and music may be. To put it succinctly, people in 1938 were scared; we, in 2020, are amused. Today’s audience knows it’s not real, and something about the program seems ancient despite all the modern upgrading. The story, after all, is a throwback to an earlier era before thoughts of “Are We Alone in the Universe?” permeated our collective consciousness. Thanks to Wells and other science fiction writers, we have all grown up with ideas of the possibility of an alien invasion from outer space and notions of interplanetary war. Therefore, the key to listening to this show is to adopt a more innocent mindset, specifically that from about a hundred years ago, where the concept of the invasion of Earth was considered futuristic and where the general public was not prepared for the ideas it sparked.

Since the book’s publication 122 years ago, science fiction has evolved and become more sophisticated. Ours is an era framed by media productions like “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” and accounts like that of Betty and Barney Hill. TV programs like “Dark Skies”, “Earth: Final Conflict”, “First Wave”, “V”, and “The X-Files.” might have surpassed “War of the Worlds” in surmising what an alien invasion might look like. That said, the current production does a great job in furthering the premise that this world is being keenly watched by extraterrestrials with intelligences greater than our own. It adds to Wells’s pioneering scenarios and provides inspiration to the next generation of futurists.

Who knows whether humanity will be wiped out by an asteroid or a nuclear bomb, by wildfires or catastrophic floods, or by Martians using a heat-ray—or by a worldwide virus? And then, who will be left to tell our story?

Theatre in the Dark’s presentation of “A War of the Worlds” is playing live and online via Zoom through November 21, 2020. The audio-only broadcast runs about 90 minutes with a short break.

Virtual showtimes are:

TUES thru SAT: 6pm PST / 7pm MST / 8pm CST / 9pm EST
SUN: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST

To purchase tickets, please go to www.theatreinthedark.com. Tickets start at $10.
After purchasing your ticket/link, you’ll receive an email with instructions for the day of the performance.

Email at info@theatreinthedark.com for additional information.

The price of tickets and your additional financial support to go the artists directly. Your donations mean a lot in order to keep live theatre going during these uncertain times. To make a gift, please follow the link https://www.theatreinthedark.com/tickets/gift and indicate the amount of your choice.

Ben Zucker’s album of original music is now on sale for $15 as a digital download.
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

*Important Note: The title of H.G. Wells’ novel is The War of the Worlds. That is also the name of the 1938 radio broadcast. The 2020 Chicago-based production by Theatre in the Dark is called “A War of the Worlds.” When discussing all in the same sentence, I have used the title “War of the Worlds.”

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “A War Of The Worlds”.