“So,” he asked, “where’d you get the Buick?”

“The what?” I replied.

“There’s a 1930′s Buick parked in front of the theater.” 

Sure enough…Right there in front of The Castro was a spectacular, near-mint condition 1937 Buick! The car was shiny and gorgeous in the twinkling marquee lights. All of the pre-show actors seemed to cluster around it as they greeted the audience on their way in. It was a perfect addition to the 1930′s flavor. 

The Pre-show cast was fun to watch. We had disgruntled businessmen, angry cabbies and newsies, squealing autograph hounds, CBS office workers, and (of course) members of our stage cast coming in for “work”. Someone said “Hello, Mr. Benny!” to me, so I immediately began my Jack Benny impersonation. If only I had a violin with me.

The audience began to fill their seats (grabbing sodas and popcorn, of course) and I ran upstairs to the projection booth to tell the projectionist that we were ready to go. He flashed the lights…the lobby emptied…and I came out onto the stage to give my introduction to the show. The energy was amazing from the audience (a lot of them were friends…but there was a good portion of complete strangers there as well). After my intro…I ran off the stage and watched as 6 months worth of hard work and stress began to unfold into reality before me.

The show went remarkably well. The audience laughed at unexpected (but well suited) moments, they cheered at others (like when Davidson Taylor gets “knocked out”…that was a REALLY BIG cheer).

I was almost moved to tears during a moment in the show when Orson Welles is forced to monologue … and he begins to prove why he is a great actor. His monologue was written by Howard Koch…but for theatricality we changed history a little bit to suit our vanity. Anyway…the actor playing Welles had been fighting a horrible bug, and he still managed to pull himself together to blow us away with his talent.

The show ended…the audience applauded…and we began to tear down the set so the Castro could show the 1953 movie. It was the quickest, and most efficient, tear-down I have ever seen. We were done in 10 minutes! Wow!

While the audience enjoyed the 50′s movie…some of us went out to The Sausage Factory for wine and Italian food…and basking in our glory.

NEXT! – The Aftermath…

Robin is an accomplished singer, actor, and director who has been making loud noises since she first stepped on a stage. Director of “The Ladies’ Oratorical and Recreational Society” and founding member of the musical troupe “Blame It On Eve”, Robin loves to create unforgettable characters utilizing music from different eras. Bay Area audiences may recongize her from her portrayal as “Mad Sal” at the Dickens Christmas Fair.

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Michael studied theater at San Diego State University, and San Francisco State University, and has been working as a professional actor since 1981. In his career, Michael has contributed to 240 professional productions as Fight Director, has taught Stage Combat at over 40 schools, has won Theater Critics Awards for his work in 7 productions, and appeared on the History Channel as “Theodore Roosevelt”. Michael is pleased to add the dual role of Frank Readick and H.G.Wells to his resume.

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Tom played George Stanyan in the 2008 Bay Area One Act Festival play, Busybody, and has been performing (off and on) since sinning the part of the 3rd Shepherd in the Christmas Play – American School, Saigon, Viet Nam. This year alone he has performed in 12 short films, including an entry in the 48 Hour Film Festival. he hopes to be working with anyone and everyone in the War of the Worlds cast in upcoming film and stage productions.

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Dan is a veteran of sketch comedy, voice-over, and general stage mayhem. On top of being a regular performer in a Christmas Cockney Music Hall, Dan spent 3 years as a director/writer/actor with the group Single Entendre. Currently he is a driving force behind the new “olde tyme radio” podcasting project “Good Old Days Radio”.

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Brandon is a local stage and voice actor, who promises to not have a repeat of the “wardrobe malfunction” that occurred during his last appearance at The Castro Theatre.

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Jay is one of the founding members of La Legion Fantastique. He has acted off and on since first performing at the age of 7 – but his career led him to work behind the scenes in Film, TV and Broadway shows. His work as a practical effects artist and prop maker can be seen in such motion pictures as “Gremlins” & “Young Sherlock Holmes”.

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When not running a network that makes sure the calls of Bay Area cell phone users go through, or cooking for hundreds of people, Tom tries to find time to do what he’s always loved – theatre. When not on the stage, Tom can be found somewhere behind the scenes making things happen. Performing in this recreation of the 1938 broadcast is significant to him…not only does it bring him back “home”, but he also broadcast the 50th anniversary when he started in radio in Buffalo, NY.

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Joel has been working in sound & music for 20 years. He is one o fthe original members of La Legion Fantastique, and now serves as set designer/stage manager for the troupe. He was also solely responsible for constructing the “soundbooth” for our show.

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Claudia is an unbridled talent in the world of Bay Area Theater. When she isn’t lighting up the stage with her energy, or “pouring it on” at a plethora of Renaissance festivals or the Dickens Christmas Fair, she spends her professional time as a bookeeper.

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