I would give "Wave of Terror" 5 stars for ambition and 3 stars for overall story. It is not a modern day Romeo and Juliette as described. It is a look into the power of love and how it can overcome racial prejudices. My biggest criticism with this episode is the actress who played "Juliette;" she was suppose to be 20 years old, but sounded like she was 50. Himan Brown cast actors/actresses who had experience in radio dramas. Some times these actors/actresses voices did not fit the part as was the case here. Still, a good listen.

A man, the son of a Polynesian Queen on one of the Hawaiian islands is deeply in love with the daughter of a corporate king who own most of the island on which the queen resides, and once ruled. They wish to be married but must first tell their parents of their plans. Neither of the parents will be keen as they both have marriages in mind to further their disparate concerns: the queen to revive a dying race, the corporate magnate to secure the lineage of his economic empire.

I rate this episode ★★★☆☆ for AVERAGE. I understood Ian Martin's modern version of Romeo & Juliet where Danny Makahini is Romeo, Liz Bradley is Juliet, Queen Lilliolani is Lady Montague, Carter Bradley is Capulet, Dr. Peter Hughes is Prince Paris, Princess Toulmina is Rosaline, and Hawaii is supposed to be Verona…but the disastrous wave part, that only shows up at the very end. Since this is called “WAVE OF TERROR,” it would make more sense if the terrifying wave was actually a metaphor of the drama that the 2 lovers had to face. This Drama-Mystery is more like a soap opera series because of its shocking twists; especially at the 32-minute mark in ACT-3. There was a variety of music tracks where it got suspenseful, then mellow, then shocking, then deep, then drastic. The horrifying tune at the 20-mintue mark and the pensive track at the 27-minute mark were my favorite. The sound effects of the airport, helicopter, tropical music, seagulls, glassware shaking, tableware clinking, ocean waves, horse neighing and galloping, the brakes & engine motor of the Jeep, footsteps, tropical birds, rotary phone, the oceans roared, and the big tidal wave were good; very necessary for this tropical tale; especially the Hawaiian music to play in the background. In our Host’s Prologue, E.G. Marshall begins describing the Polynesian Queen who is the mother of our male lead. In ACT-1, he describes our 2 main characters just 2 days before the 90-foot tidal wave came. Later on, he informs us than none of these characters are aware that the cataclysm of nature is about to affect their lives. In ACT-2, after detecting a change in our female lead, E.G. Marshall gives us a hint that she has a knowledge that the others don’t know yet. In ACT-3, it is 8:42am where there are 2 ultimatums by the 2 families, plus narrating the events of the wave approaching while the characters speak. In the end, he reveals the climax of the wave of terror that reached the land. In his Epilogue, E.G. Marshall gives us the resolution where the 2 lovers did get married, but a memorial service was made for their parents (SPOILER ALERT). What puzzles me are the whereabouts of other 2 characters: the Doctor & the Princess. What happened to them? Where did they go? Did they survive the wave of terror? Another mystery we’ll never know. Lastly, our cast: Paul Hecht (as Danny Makahini), Carmen Matthews (as Queen Lilliolani), Suzanne Grossman (as Liz Bradley & Princess Toulmina), Gordon Gould (as Dr. Peter Hughes), and Ian Martin (as Carter Bradley). Each of them did quite well on their acting, but not quite believable on the characters that they portrayed. Don’t get me wrong; all 5 of them have done great works in other CBSRMT episodes, but it would be more believable if they spoke in Hawaiian accents or even said “Aloha” in every Act. SPECIAL NOTE: Aloha means “love”, “compassion”, “affection”, and “friendly.” Not just “hello” & “goodbye.” Anyway, this is a rare take on the William Shakespearean classic, but WEST SIDE STORY is a way better modern version. And I do recommend to check out #0472-THE LOVE SONG OF DEATH (the adaptation of Romeo & Juliet) written by Ian Martin. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0]

I had a hard time getting interested in the plot through act 1 and 2, but by act 3 it seemed to capture more of my attention. I guess I am one of those peoples who likes the more who-dunnit mysterys like the Sherlock Holmes episodes. But I too like Ian Martin performances, so for that reason I would still give the episode a thumbs up.

this was a slow moving tale with the same basic premise of Romeo and Juliette. and while it was more a tale of love and woe, i found it an interesting study of the lives of people just prior to tragedy. it reminded me a lot of my favorite RMT series, The Last Days of Pompeii, in that it focused on the characters more than it did the story. and for that reason, i think it was a very well done performance, but in this case, i wanted a bit more story. the interplay was terrific between the actors, and that lent to it being a very worth show, indeed!

I thought Ian Martin did an interesting job when he started having a bit of a seizure while talking with Gordon Gould's character... though if the RMT characters in "Hurricane" had been in Kat they'd probably never have made it out of the play.

Whispers of Romeo and Juliet. Slow start out of the gate but it finished on top. Good writing and solid acting. A reasonable twist on an old theme. I enjoyed listening to the episode.

Although others compare this to Romeo and Juliet, I wouldn't necessarily do the same comparison. The reason for that is that in R&J the families were actively warring with each other, not quite the case in this story. The story was quite slow moving until the third act, but I did like the resolution to the story. I do agree that some of the actors definitely sound a certain age and shouldn't play characters that aren't near that age, but still a good listen.

Wave of Terror is my favorite.

38 minutes in... and nothing has happened. 1 star.

Interesting episode though more like an old episode of escape than CBS radio mystery theater.

A love story, not really along the lines of R&J. The storyline was interesting and the natural cataclysm seemed tuned due to decisions made, but then wouldn't the ones who were going to marry be at risk? But i suppose the parents took their place. Not a favorite, unless you love seagull calls? What happened to the doctor and princess? Missed the commercials. Not enough to really appeal to me.

Ten minutes in and I’m already annoyed. The doctor tells Suzanne Grossman Character A that she is responsible for her father’s health. Um, no. Then “little sister,” Suzanne Grossman Character B, is the same voice so hard to tell which one is talking because, y”know, the story is so uninteresting that I didn’t care who was talking. Finally, Carmen Matthews, who is one of my favorite RMT actresses and wonderful in The Unearthly Gift as an IRISH character sounds like an Irish Hawaiian, which didn’t really work in my mind. Did I say finally? As I write this, Ian Martin just called Suzanne Grossman Character A ‘Princess,’ a name I can use only on a German Shepherd. So far now twenty minutes in, not a fan.

Perhaps my favorite episode! I LOVE listening to the news on that day too! Thanks so much, what a great recording too!