The Score | Mars Attacks!

The infamous Orson Welles fake-news radio broadcast The War of the Worlds got a modern twist in November, when the Los Angeles Philharmonic premiered Annie Gosfield’s new opera version, which moved the action from the 1930s East Coast to modern-day L.A. Christopher Rountree conducted the musicians of the Philharmonic’s New Music Group, and the director was Yuval Sharon, the Philharmonic’s artist-collaborator in residence. Yuval has also directed earlier immersive opera stagings in L.A. with his company The Industry, including Invisible Cities (2014) in Union Station and Hopscotch (2016), performed in cars driving around the city. The new War of the Worlds—a co-production of the Philharmonic, The Industry, and the public art organization NowArt LA—took place inside and outside Disney Hall, with actress Sigourney Weaver as emcee/narrator. Refurbished air-raid sirens played a crucial role, and audience members were asked to participate in the action. Soprano Hila Plitmann performed from inside Disney Hall, while others—mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán and baritone Hadleigh Adams—sang from remote locations. Brave new world, indeed.