When most people hear the title “The War of the Worlds,” they think of the 2005 movie starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning long before they remember the original radio broadcast created by Wisconsin-native Orson Welles. But don’t expect an adaptation of the film if you see University Theatre’s adaptation—expect better. Much better.

Audiences familiar with the movie will be able to recognize one key difference between that and this production: It’s set right here in Madison. In fact, one of the dominant settings is the WHA studios in Vilas Hall. Throughout the play, cities Black Earth and Sauk City (both in the Madison area) are referenced, as are Madison hotspots University Avenue, State Street and the Capitol.

One of the major accomplishments of this production, held at Vilas Hall’s Mitchell Theatre, is the flexibility of the actors. The 10-member ensemble of mostly UW students (not counting the sound effects crew) go from happy-go-lucky performers and station workers enjoying their lives and not thinking about what lies ahead, to terrified townspeople and military workers (among other things) in the short span of one hour and 25 minutes.

This drastic change in the characters’ attitude happens because the play starts out with the Wisconsin Players’ radio production of the horror play, “The Monkey’s Paw,” which half of the ensemble is also involved in while the rest are station workers. This play-within-a-play, as those who’ve seen “The War of the Worlds” film already know, is as delightful as a child compared to the rest of the play.

The cast and crew do an amazing job of merging “The Monkey’s Paw” with “The War of the Worlds,” stopping the play after scenes to inform the audience of updates involving the Mars invasion. Although the actors have to make a drastic change in their characters in a short amount of time, they pull it off like professionals.

Another reason for the play’s success is its interactivity. While both parts of the play are broadcasted, the cast, led by announcers Peter Bissen and Norman Gilliland, talked to us as if we were not only their studio audience, but their radio audience as well. The technical crew also added realistic sound effects, a fog machine and bright lighting. This production has it all. So dazzling, in fact, that they didn’t even need the fancy aliens from the 2005 film.

“War of the Worlds” will be playing at Mitchell Theatre this and next weekend. Students tickets are available for $14. Go to www.utmadison.com for more details.