Walk into the New Vic Theatre for the opening show of Ensemble Theatre Company’s (ETC) 47th season — the funny, thoughtful and cautionary “War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast” — and it’s the same feeling I get every time.
Wow! The stage looks amazing!
We step into a post-World War II radio studio marked by polished wood walls and furniture, period fixtures and lighting, “On Air” and “Applause” signs, and a warm light over all of it.
We’re deep in the scene even before the four actors, styled in 1940’s fashion, ubiquitous cigarettes aglow, and with sharp diction of the day enliven the studio, and the New Vic.
We’re the audience at a 10-year-anniversary reenactment of Orson Welles’ real-life 1938 live broadcast of H.G. Wells’ science fiction “War of the Worlds,” about a Martian invasion of Earth.
“The Panic Broadcast” is written by Joe Landry, creator of multiple live radio play adaptations, and directed by Jamie Torcellini, who visioned last year’s “Dracula: A Comedy of Terror,” and other ETC productions “A Christmas Carol,” “The 39 Steps,” and “Tell Me on a Sunday.”
This production weaves a complex and favorably disorienting lace from the original 1938 version of “War of the Worlds,” the reenactment of the moment (1948), and a diffuse “reality” we drop into and out of much like home audiences did in the radio days.
And as listeners did during the original broadcast, we can get caught up in the moment even as we’re told it’s not real.
The actors brought the above enchantment to life with sharp precision encompassing comedy, genius radio-show timing and sound effects, horror and pathos.
Shakespearean veteran actor Richard Baird leads as the booming Welles, head of the 1948 broadcast Freddy Fillmore; and astronomer Dr. Pearson, who observes the alien landing, survives the invasion and wanders the landscape, reflecting profoundly on loss, survival and hope.
The entire cast deftly switches among several roles, across time, story and “truth and illusion,” which happens to be the theme of ETC’s 47th season.
Matthew Floyd Miller, known here from many ETC productions, astutely plays Harry Haywood and morphs into Welles’ coproducer John Houseman, field journalist, soldier and more.
In her ETC debut, Ashley Margaret Morton brightly brings forth a skillful radio sound engineer, a patriotic, commercial-break mom, the sole surviving broadcaster sharing an avalanche of devastating news bulletins, and more.
LA Drama Critics’ Circle-nominee for best actor (2024) Bryan Daniel Porter transitions through myriad roles, keeping each so distinct, he makes the mind spin with wonderment.
The play highlights how fear can wipe out discernment and how technology can override reason, creating vulnerabilities and leading to choices based on illusion. Also, corporate sponsorship …
The play and its themes, culminate with a series of reflections and real-life quotes that document times when illusion and fear corrupted personal and national judgment.
“War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast” runs 90 minutes with no intermission through Oct. 26. Shows are Oct. 14-16 and Oct. 22-23 at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., with additional performances at 3 p.m., Oct. 18 and 25, and 2 p.m. on Oct. 22.
Attendees can enjoy added fun and learning with the following events that come with ticket purchase:
Pre-show talks at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 15 and 22; Cocktail Night at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17; a Tea Talk at 1:15 p.m. before the 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 22; and Pride Night pre-show celebration at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 with a Talkback Q&A following the performance.
For tickets, visit etcsb.org or call 805-965-5400.
Art critic Judith Smith-Meyer is a round-the-clock appreciator of the creative act.