As a great lover of musicals, and all the cheesiness and pizazz they duly provide, it is easy to estimate my ridiculously high excitement levels to see ‘Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds: The Final Arena Tour’. Whilst the original soundtrack, recorded 1978, left something to be desired due to such dated aspects as the constant drum-machines and laser sound-effects, this merging of classic Science Fiction, and theatrical dramatics still stimulated a child-like excitement in my cynical heart.
Unfortunately, the show was not as I expected. Whilst the music was undoubtedly spectacular- the unifying of both a classical orchestra and rock band creating an impressive soundtrack to the story being told, I would hardly refer to the performance as a musical. The sluggish movement of the storyline, particularly in the first act, gave the orchestra, and the conductor, an excuse to flaunt the elaborative music, the accompanying the graphics on the screen behind them, which, by the way, would have made the PlayStation 1 blush. Some individual performances, the complex score, and such components as the costume design were enchanting, but the lethargic accompanying story line transformed the overall performance into something that encouraged little excitement.
The story follows the original novel of H.G. Wells- the Martians being unable to survive on their desolate planet resorting to attack earth, causing death, destruction and the general collapse of society. Our protagonist, the journalist, recounts his struggle to survive, and his desperation to return to his fiancée, who has left the country for her own protection, rather than wait for him. He encounters such interesting individuals as the artilleryman, (who bizarrely attempts to start a new civilisation underground), the parson, (who, in his delirious state, believes the aliens to be demons sent by Satan), and the parson’s wife, who’s only significance is to die and emphasies her husband’s descent into madness. Miraculously, the creatures are killed by the bacteria of earth, leaving life to begin again.
As previously mentioned, some of the performances by individuals were captivating, such as that of Jason Donovan, Shayne Ward, and although short, but sweet, Carrie Hope Fletcher. During their songs, they were simultaneously able to display their impressive vocal ranges, and enthrall the audience with their theatrical talents. Liam Neeson, who played the protagonist, appeared via pre-recorded hologram, which, whilst impressive, caused some of the stage directions, and interactions, to become stunted, though this was compensated by the appreciation held for the live performers, and their accuracy in timing.
Overall, when examining individual components of Jeff Wayne’s Musical version of The War of The Worlds, it is difficult to understand why it was occasionally not enjoyable. However, the onstage orchestra, as well as the centre stage pedestal for Jeff Wayne himself, as the composer, causes the most significant problem with the performance to become clear. The show is not about the story, and for the large part, not about the actors. The main concern is musical, which limits all the other positive aspects of the performance, and even creating the notion that the fact this as the final arena tour is not such a devastating fact, after all.
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