“The War Of The Worlds” classic radio play coming to the Great North Woods Center for the Arts

COLEBROOK -- The Carriage Lane Players of Colebrook is planning to once again host a live, on-stage re-creation of the 1938 Columbia Broadcasting System radio show, “The War of the Worlds.” Originally presented in 2019, the local theatrical group is hosting the performance on Halloween weekend, Oct. 30 and 31, recreating the original event.

On Oct. 30, 1938, the Orson Welles Mercury Theatre On The Air radio show, hosted by Welles and his colleagues, pulled together a program that ended up writing pop culture history. As people were sitting at home in the quiet comfort of their living rooms that night, mom and dad were expecting to hear some light music. Instead, they were startled to learn that “mysterious gas explosions” were reported coming from Mars — and then they learned that metal cylinders had landed in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. As police and service men headed that way to learn what the cylinders were, the huge devices creaked open, and out came long tentacles. Mysterious creatures with large, metal feet stomped human beings flat, incinerating everyone with their deadly heat ray.