I had lots of Halloween activities available this year, but I had to hear (and see!) The Long Beach Shakespeare Company's performance of The War of the Worlds at KPCC's Family Forum.
If you don't know the War of the Worlds' story, on October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast the radio drama that stirred up the listening public into believing that Martians were attacking the U.S. Told in "breaking news" format, with calls in from the field, unidentified "experts," and realistic sound effects, radio listeners panicked at the thought of interplanetary invasion. Although there were multiple mentions that this was a fictional broadcast, the majority of listeners thought it was really happening.
Tonight, it was super cool to watch the actors switching characters, making the sound effects, and attacking the imaginations of the audience. Special shout-out to Rocket Fizz for donating bags of old-school candies for us all to chomp on during said invasion.
(I didn't stick around for the discussion with Jill Tarter, who was the inspiration for Jodie Foster's character in Contact. I'm sure it would have been cool, but it was already a long day.)
Click here for the Mercury Theatre's Web site, including the broadcast of The War of the Worlds.
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