Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds Musical is touring again next year. This is something of a spectacle for all fans and non-fans, as they mix up the album along with real live actors and special effects. 2010′s tour proved to be something of a box office hit.
Originally, the War Of The Worlds album was narrated by the late great Richard Burton – Richard Burton’s voice was also used on stage, as part of a holographic effect of his head as he reads the passages.
Well for 2012 – dubbed the ‘Next Generation!” Jeff Wayne has confirmed today that he will be using Liam Neeson to re-read the original Richard Burton parts and new bits as Jeff Wayne explores the characters a bit deeper this time around.
WTF? You might ask, how can they replace Richard Burton?
“After long consideration,” said Jeff on www.waroftheworlds.com, “I concluded that for future productions, some of HG Wells’ storylines and characters should be re-explored. It would also give me the chance to re-interpret my compositions with the production techniques of today, exciting from a musician’s point of view.
“But perhaps the greatest opportunity was revisiting the main character of George Herbert, The Journalist and the development of the love story between George and his fiancée Carrie (played by Anna-Marie Wayne). While it may have been the greatest opportunity, it was also the hardest decision to make because I knew that with a re-developed storyline, a new Journalist would need to be sought as Richard Burton’s original performance, was finite…!”
Might be an interesting new twist on the musical, especially for any one who has already seen it live. Spaceman will be most interested in this quote from the offical website : “Perhaps the most remarkable element, and a world first in live entertainment, will see Liam Neeson appearing full body on stage interacting holographically with the show’s live performers. A triumph of technology and a remarkable performance by Liam.” WOWSER!! Look forward to seeing that!!
The tour begins on 1 December 2012 in Liverpool. Tickets can be bought from 25 November (tomorrow).
Meanwhile, please enjoy a classic track from the War Of The Worlds :