War of the Worlds Radio Drama

October 30 is the date that Orson Wells managed to convince people that New Jersey was invaded by aliens from Mars. In honor of that anniversary the Cygnet Theater did a two night reading and recreation of the radio drama. It's hard today to fully understand how so many people believed what was going on but this production did a great job of putting you in the time and moment.

The set was the CBS radio studio and the actors replicated what might have been the sound effects of an army (men stomping feet) or invasion noises (whistles and bells) and even simulated sloshing of water in a trashcan with a plunger. If you closed your eyes and only listened, and trusted the broadcasters to deliver the news, I can see how people would have panicked.

The stage version was only 45 minutes long out of the original 60 minutes. The music was probably limited to a few seconds so we didn't have to sit through dead space on the stage while listening to 1930's hits. The cast was fun and I think the entire audience enjoyed the reading. If you ever get a chance to see a similar production I'd recommend going.  It's over in San Diego but if you want information on Cygnet, click here.