Radio Macbeth & War of the Worlds

The night before Halloween in 1938, Orson Welles terrified radio listeners with his version of H.G. Wells' science-fiction classic about a Martian invasion, "The War of the Worlds." Stephen Webber, who plays Welles in SITI Company's stage adaptation, delivers a spell that is nearly as powerful. First staged in 1999, "War of the Worlds—The Radio Play" returns as half of a double bill at Friday and Saturday performances of the company's revival of "Radio Macbeth." Though "War of the Worlds" is the superior work, the productions make a fascinating pair, reminding us that magic results when sound, rather than sight, is harnessed in the theater.

Hearing the script of "War of the Worlds" in this new context reveals just how good it is. Written by Howard Koch, who would go on to co-write "Casablanca," the play is less about Martians than about radio itself. In Koch's vision, the aliens are conquering a world that has already been divorced from itself, since the apocalypse can only be experienced third hand, relayed from confused scientists to radio announcers to their listeners.

SITI cleverly re-imagines the activity in Welles' studio. Dressed in period garb, the performers wander from one microphone to the next in the choreographic synergy that is their stylistic hallmark. Their main task is to keep up with Welles, who tyrannically rewrites and directs from the center of the room. As pages litter the ground and Darron L. West's music provides unobtrusive underscoring, giant machines crush entire towns and New York City is suffocated by poisonous gas. I was so wrapped up in the actors' story and in Koch's drama that it took Welles' final announcement that the play is just "a Halloween prank" to remind me that this historical event had real-world consequences.

"Radio Macbeth" lacks the tight dramaturgy and the sophisticated exploration of media that make "War of the Worlds" so compelling. Instead, it's just a spooky version of the Scottish play. This time, the company plays another group of actors, who have broken into the basement of a theater to rehearse Shakespeare's tragedy, moving fluidly from the awkwardness of getting settled to the high poetry of the play. They use microphones to enhance the aural spectacle, not to represent a radio broadcast or comment on mediated voice.

While "War of the Worlds" is an ensemble affair, "Radio Macbeth" allows for star turns. The production may not be terribly interesting or original, but first-rate performances ensure that it works. Kelly Maurer, absent from "War of the Worlds," steals the show as all three weird sisters, the porter, and Lady Macduff. At times she even seems possessed, making it easy to wonder if her spells are real. As Lady Macbeth in a bright red dress, Ellen Lauren delivers an "Out, damned spot!" monologue, with the sounds of a wild animal in mental collapse, that will probably not be bested in this decade. Webber and Will Bond cleverly craft a rivalry between their actor characters that pays dividends when their Shakespeare characters, Macbeth and Macduff, square off.

While we can imagine the sound in "War of the Worlds" dissipating into the world outside, "Radio Macbeth" is hermetic. Shakespeare's poetry echoes through the room, casting spells on characters and audience alike. The sense of "Macbeth" as a story of flesh-and-blood characters fades away, and with it goes much of the intelligibility of the plot. What remains is the supernatural, as ghosts and otherworldly forces act upon an overwhelmed populace. Macbeth, though ably played by Webber, has no more agency here than Craig T. Nelson in "Poltergeist."

Perhaps this is the point. SITI, a company known for bringing the beauty of dance to its ensemble stagings, this time reminds us that our ears can be more commanding than our eyes. The right noise renders us mute.



Presented by SITI Company at Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19th St, NYC Oct. 6–16. Schedule varies.(212) 924-0077 and www.siti.org