Yep - I went to see this last night at the BIC (Bournemouth).
Awesome.
After a slightly delayed start (I think they had to reboot the multimedia system) the show opened with an intro on Mars - the council of war. Then those opening chords from the orchestra, and the Black Smoke Band kicked in.
The computer generated Richard Burton sat squarely in the uncanny valley.
As to the performers -
Justin Haywood as the sung thoughts of the narrator was awesome - the voice a little older, more weary, but still pretty good.
Alexis James as the Artilleryman was really good - frightened and shocked in the first act, manic in the second.
Shannon Noll as Parson Nathaniel was great, and Jennifer Ellison as Beth was phenomenal - an incredible pair of … lungs. Really. She can really sing.
Chris Thompson as the voice of humanity … I was disappointed. Thunderchild is the climax of the first act, and the voice was croaking and pushed - he hit the high note at the end, but he will be talking in whispers today. I like Chris Thompson, saw him live in the 80s, but he maybe should have sat the show out to rest the voice. But I would have been disappointed if I didn’t see him, so …
The staging was great - big projected screen behind, with live capture from the stage mixed in. Big Martian tripod with heat ray, underground overpass for the artilleryman in the second act, pyrotechnics.
Best night out for ages.
Si
I wish that would come here to the States! I would LOVE to see that show!
Loved the album when it came out and I traditionally listen to it every Halloween (though now I listen to on CD)…
That really sounds great. Ulla!
I just HAD to log in today and tell you how incredibly jealous I am that you got to see this! I’ve been listening to the original album since before I was born (my mom would put the headphones on her belly, so I’ve been told) and it’s one of the greatest musical masterpieces ever written. Now that I’m all grown up, I own the album on cd, as well as the DVD of the concert, and I would love to have the opportunity to see it in person.
I gotta ask: which song’s your favorite?
Wow - that sounds amazing! Any performances schedueld for this side of the pond?
I’ve got WotW on my iPod, part of my regular rotation. Great stuff - the first “Ulla” still sends chills down my spine.
But WTF on computer generated Richard Burton? There are plenty of actors who could have done the job. Timothy Dalton is Welsh (as was Burton), for just one example.
Here’s a taster for those who haven’t seen this great show.
Thunderchild - great buildup, and then the sadness. Plus I knew some of Chris Thompsons relatives when I was a teenager in NZ - they had his gold record on their wall.
A huge part of what made WotW was the narration by Richard Burton. As soon as those words start “who would have thought in the first years of the twentieth century …” a chill goes down my spine.
So I don’t think that anyone else could do the job. And the head was pretty cool, uncanny and all.
Si
Thunderchild is probably my second favorite; great choice! Tops for me is Forever Autumn, all sadness, all awesome.
I agree that nobody but Richard Burton could be the narrator.
Somehow I missed Jeff Wayne’s album when it came out…too busy with Elvis Costello, I guess.
But then, in 2005 I heard Justin sing “Forever Autumn” at the Moody Blues’ Greek Theater show–it blew me away. I went right out and got the WOTW CD and I’ve listened to it many times since. Great stuff, and now I really wish they’d bring the stage production to the the States.