t has been more than six decades since Orson Welles inadvertently
terrified the United States with his radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of
the Worlds. And while that show unquestionably served as a watershed
event in both broadcast and science fiction history, modern-day audiences
often find it hard to believe that people back in 1938 actually thought an alien invasion was
taking place.
In the leadoff story on this volume of the SCI
FI Channel's Seeing Ear Theatre series, it turns out that Earthlings were not the only
ones fooled into thinking that creatures from outer space had landed.
In the first of three audio dramas presented on this two-cassette
collection, listeners discover the "real" reaction to the radio program, in
which a pair of honest-to-goodness extraterrestrials attempt to save Earth
from imminent destruction. Titled "Orson the Alien! The Untold Story
Behind The War of the Worlds," the narrative was written by Terry
Bisson, Brian Smith and George Zarr, and it features the voice of famed Star
Trek and Babylon 5 actor Walter Koenig.
Novelist James Morrow wrote the second tale on this volume, "Daughter Earth,"
wherein a Pennsylvania couple are the proud parents of a baby biosphere
named Zenobia. Meanwhile, the final work, "The First (and Last) Musical on Mars,"
was penned by Zarr and concerns a janitor from Ohio who unexpectedly finds
himself on Jupiter. There he must hurriedly put together an interplanetary
theatrical production in order to save humanity.
A sense of wonder and a sense of humor
While previous Seeing Ear Theatre tapes offered a rich mixture of
solemn and comical dramatizations, this installment clearly focuses on the
whimsical end of the science fiction spectrum. The selection of lighthearted
stories presented here intermingles the senses of both wonder and humor.
Though the setup is undeniably contrived, "Orson the Alien! The Untold
Story Behind The War of the Worlds" ingeniously explores the
heretofore unknown life-and-death consequences of Welles' famous radio drama.
The fanciful fable also slyly supplies some unique insights into Welles'
illustrious cinematic future. "The First (and Last) Musical on Mars" is another
inventive tale, incorporating more than a dozen original songs into a wacky
premise reminiscent of such TV shows as The Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy, Monty Python's Flying Circus and Mystery Science
Theater 3000. In fact, MST3K fans will find the familiar voice
of MST3K actress Mary Jo Pehl among the players in this drama.
Even the most serious story, the allegorical "Daughter Earth," includes
some delightfully humorous ingredients, especially a tidbit that outlines, in
the context of Zenobia's microcosm, a rather unusual reason for the
disappearance of the dinosaurs. Ironically, all three narratives focus in one
form or another on the devastating destruction of the Earth. Yet a
lighthearted tone remains paramount in each tale, ensuring that, like its
predecessors, this volume of Seeing Ear Theatre is enticing, energetic
and generally excellent.
