“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.” This line is one of the most recognizable in all of film—as classic as the movie it’s from.
Casablanca had it all: an all-star cast, intrigue, sex, gambling, murder, betrayal and subterfuge, an exotic locale and war. Now, the film is getting a radio makeover at Arts Garage’s Radio Theatre from February 5-6.
From its heyday, with Orson Welles inciting terror as The War of the Worlds played out on a live broadcast, to noir classics like Dragnet and “Guy Noir” of today, radio has held a special place on the mantel of Americana. Moments engrained in the fabric of the country’s history rang through the airwaves, piping statements like “a date which will live in infamy” into homes. Radio’s power—the ability to inform and entertain—united living rooms from coast to coast.
Times have changed. Vacuum tubes have given way to LED televisions, and the radio of today can strike more of a derisive tone depending on the station. But there is still something captivating about hearing a voice through unseen waves. To pay homage to radio’s heyday, the Arts Garage’s Radio Theatre is turning the spoken word into life-action entertainment. Adapting scripts from classic movies from radio’s heyday, actors will perform live using specially designed sound-effect devices for a nostalgic experience akin to attending a broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion.
In Casablanca, Rick and Ilsa are torn between virtue and love but find the bound between them, though frayed, is still strong. Set in Casablanca, Morrocco in the 1940s, expatriate Rick runs a hopping club, Rick’s Café Américain, which attracts a menagerie of characters. As the war rages in Europe, refugees begin to flock Rick’s, all hoping to flee for the United States. Who will receive the letter of transit and make it out alive? Tune in the Arts Garage’s Radio Theatre to find out.
- Admission costs $15-$25; $5 more at the door.
- Showtimes are February 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m.
- For more information, visit artsgarage.org.
- And as always, it’s B.Y.O.W.—Bring Your Own Whatever.
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