Imagine a battle between exotic plant species and plants native to the area. What would happen? Who would win? To some, plants battling one another evokes images of Audrey II in “Little Shop of Horrors.” For Dennis Cleary of the New Jersey Audubon Society, however, the idea evokes images of Orson Wells’ 1938 “War of the Worlds.” Cleary will present “War of the Worlds: An Ecological Parody” at the Plainsboro Preserve on Friday, February 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Orson Wells’ famous 1938 radio broadcast is about the fictional landing of Martians in Grovers Mill while the new show features aggressive plant and animal species filling our wetlands. It is not a musical, says Brian Vernacchio, director of the Preserve, but it does have music. “It’s hilarious,” he adds. “The exotic plants can’t compete with the native plants and disturb the ecosystem.”
Sharyn Alice Murray directs. Actors include Cleary, Vernacchio (in his acting debut), Dennis Normile, and Larry Frazer. “I have done teaching and storytelling but never acting,” says Vernacchio.”
Shade grown coffee, which uses fewer pesticides and helps preserve populations of migratory birds who summer in this area, will be served along with snacks.
The production is part of the Preserve’s Winter Coffeehouse Series, which is recommended for adults and older children, while the summer series is focused on family events. Past events include storytellers, a bat lecture, and a musical about wildlife.
War of the Worlds: An Ecological Parody, Plainsboro Preserve, Plainsboro. Friday, February 13, 7:30 p.m. 609-897-9400 or visit www.njaudubon.org. $15.
