War of the Worlds, Chicago

Orson Welles’s notorious 1938 radio broadcast of an adaptation of The War of the Worlds reportedly duped people into thinking they were hearing a real broadcast. John Hildreth’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’s 1895 novel, presented in a world premiere production at Lifeline Theatre directed by Heather Currie, has its own agenda. Hildreth’s play, set in the Chicago area in the present day, is an irreverent take on the orginal with an eye toward building community in times of desperation. Using the source material as a guide, Hildreth follows the exploits of a group of scientists, led by Professor Wittington, as they face off against both extraterrestrial threats and earthbound skeptics. Hildreth’s text resonates with today’s COVID-related anti-intellectualism and scientific skepticism, a diale