Liam Neeson, David Essex, Jimmy Nail…
impressive billing, enough to lure anyone to the Dominion Theatre, to witness ‘Jeff Wayne’s musical version of The War of the Worlds’. I had no idea what to expect
from this production, and so I kept an open mind, and a closed eye to any
earlier reviews of the show.
Based on the 1897 classic science fiction novel by H.G.Wells, Jeff Wayne’s 1978 ‘progressive rock’ musical adaptation of
the work has been a best seller for many years. Its simply a story of how a
spaceship from Mars, crashes to earth, and takes over the world, forcing the
desperate citizens to consider building a new world underground. But don’t
worry, there’s a happy ending, as the bacteria we humans are now relatively
immune to, have the power to kill all the alien forms, and supposedly live
happily ever after. There’s also an epilogue, based in NASA, warning us of the
possibility of a re-visit in the future.
As the curtain rises, we are introduced to
the impressive live orchestra, filling the stage, with the aforementioned 72-year-old
Jeff Wayne, as musical director. I instantly recognized his dramatic main theme
‘The Eve of War’, brilliantly blasted out by his string section. But then the
problems started…
I knew that I wasn’t going to see Liam
Neeson in the flesh, so I had prepared myself for his projected and much
publicized ‘3D holography’, which introduced us to the story. One by one, the
ensemble entered the apron stage in front of the orchestra, hamming it to the
hills, of the impending danger. This clearly was not a musical drama, but an
orchestral concert accompanied by a spoken narrative, projected images, a few
spectacular fiery effects and a large redundant ensemble whose only purpose was
to fill the apron. Having mentally registered that fact, I sat back in my seat,
and tried my best to enjoy the show, but I just couldn’t. It all felt like such
a mess, and I felt so sorry for the ensemble, led by Essex and Nail, who’s
one-song-wonders didn’t even work.
With such a powerful and dramatic story, it’s
just a shame that the vast money spent on the ‘show’ had not been invested in a
proper staged adaptation. It all felt
dated and deflated, and the real ‘war’ was with the music as it drowned everything
on stage, even Neeson’s contributions. Sadly, the music didn’t even warrant this
expensive wasted opportunity.
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