PANIC by Stephen Dolginoff a Musical

The behind-the-scenes story of the 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds.

REVIEW BY PETER FILICHIA (excerpted due to space limit, e-mail thrillmecd (at) aol (dot) com for compete review)Dolginoff Does Well by Welles and Wells! So I just heard the closing number from Rebecca, and it's terrific. It's the opening number of Stephen Dolginoff’s Panic. His new musical is now at Spirit of Broadway theater in Norwich, CT. We start on Sun, October 23, when Welles is playing Mr. de Winter and Vivian, an actress, is portraying Rebecca in a radio adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier tale. Because Panic is a musical, the cast of the radio show sings and doesn’t just recite the script. Only when Welles is wrapping up do we hear spoken words. Once Rebecca’s done, Welles and Houseman plan next week’s program: H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds – that is, if Mercury lasts that long. Houseman worries because Bergen & McCarthy -- week after week after week wipe the floor with whatever Mercury offers.Apprentice writer Howard Koch notes that while people listen to Bergen & McCarthy’s opening, they switch to Mercury when the singers come on -- and switch back again for Bergen and McCarthy’s closing. So Welles doesn’t only order Koch to write The War of the Worlds, but also insists that he try something new. Wouldn’t it be impressive if Koch’s script could convince listeners that the earth was really being attacked by Martians right then and there? As he points out, newspapers don’t come out till morning and Movietone can only offer a new program in theaters once a week. But radio is The New Big Thing and can do what those others can’t. Welles makes clear that they’d be upfront about what they were doing in the early minutes of the show. It’s not their fault if people don’t tune in then. Nevertheless, Koch is reluctant, so Welles seduces him in song. Soon Koch is writing what could be termed the first phony reality show. Houseman nixes the idea as too dangerous, so Welles surreptitiously arranges that the scripts be switched at the last second. Dolginoff has already established that all three men are desperate and unfulfilled, as they sing in “Hollywood Doesn’t Call.” And while it’s one of his most intoxicating melodies, theater-centric fans may be rankled that all three see filmdom as the gold ring and view a return to the stage as going backwards. (As it turned out, all three would get Oscars; none would get Tonys.) Oct. 30,