Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama

An Audible Original Drama

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.

Try for £0.00

More purchase options

Buy Now for £15.99

About this listen

When H. G. Wells first published The War of The Worlds in 1898, the novel quickly became a sci-fi classic. The story of extraterrestrials from Mars invading Earth captured the public’s imagination, inspiring a famed 1938 radio broadcast with Orson Welles, several feature films, countless video games, and a best-selling musical concept album by Jeff Wayne in 1978, among others.

Immersing listeners in a world that is as thrilling as it is desolate, Jeff Wayne’s eerie and pulsating score brings the suspense, drama, and urgency of Wells’s original novel to a fever pitch in this Audible Original Drama. Michael Sheen headlines an ensemble cast of talented performers that also includes Taron Egerton, Adrian Edmondson, Theo James, and Anna-Marie Wayne.

H. G. WellsJeff WayneMichael SheenTaron EgertonTheo JamesAdrian EdmondsonAnna-Marie WayneAudible Originals

Audio Performances & Dramatisations

Dramatisations

First Contact

Science Fiction

Thought-Provoking

Funny

Feel-Good

Audio Performances & Dramatisations Dramatisations First Contact Science Fiction Thought-Provoking Funny Feel-Good

Immerse yourself in The War of The Worlds

0:00

Listen to an immersive audio drama

The Eve of the War

Discovery of the Martians

The Eve of the War

Heat Ray

The Eve of the War

Opening

The Eve of the War
Discovery of the Martians

The Eve of the War
Heat Ray

The Eve of the War
Opening

Characters and cast

The Journalist

Performed by Michael Sheen

George, The Journalist, is our main narrator and lead character. George is a philosopher and is educated, resourceful, energetic and interested in everything. He is also one of the first to notice some oddities occurring on the Martian landscape and to make the correlation that the Martians are indeed launching an invasion. Despite the relative stoicism he displays throughout the story, prolonged exposure to the atrocities that the alien invaders inflict upon humanity however takes a serious toll on his sanity.

Michael Sheen spent much of his early career on the stage, with his performances in Amadeus and Look Back in Anger being nominated for Olivier Awards. Michael has become better known as a screen actor, in particular through his roles in various biopics such as Tony Blair in The Queen, as Kenneth Williams in BBC Four's Fantabulosa!, and David Frost in Frost/Nixon. In 2013, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Masters of Sex.

The Artilleryman

Performed by Taron Egerton

The unnamed Artilleryman was separated from the rest of his combat unit when he was unhorsed. Escaping the heat rays of the Martian war machines he wanders into the garden of The Journalist. When the danger escalates and they need to escape, his military training, caution, and prudence prove to be exceedingly useful in their survival across the battle ravaged landscape.

Taron Egerton rose to fame thanks to his roles in films such as Kingsman: The Secret Service and the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle Taron has starred as the title role in Eddie the Eagle, and showed off his musical prowess in the animated film Sing. Taron also plays the title role in the 2018 film Robin Hood.

The Parson

Performed by Theo James

The Parson is a cowardly, highly strung, weak-willed character, who, much like The Artilleryman, remains unnamed for the duration of novel. This is a man struggling to reconcile his religion with the terrible events of the invasion and he differs with the Journalist constantly, often refusing to comply with sensible requests such as rationing supplies or behave sensibly when the need for calm is paramount. Despite this though he refuses to part with The Journalist.

Theo James rose to fame in the The Divergent Series film trilogy. Some of Theo’s credits include the crime-drama series Golden Boy as well as the films Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars. He starred as Will Younger in the Netflix Original film, How It Ends.

Carrie

Performed by Anna-Marie Wayne

In Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: The Musical Drama, Carrie, who is married to The Journalist is a more prominent character than in HG Well’s novel. After Carrie goes to stay with relations in Leatherhead, The Journalist’s movements, bearing and reasons for doing things are spurred on by his concern for her. Carrie becomes the main narrator and lead character for two episodes of the story.

Anna-Marie Wayne was born on the day Jeff Wayne's album, The War of the Worlds, entered the music charts. Anna-Marie has appeared on film, TV, radio and stage but The War of the Worlds fans will recognise her from Jeff Wayne's musical version of The War Of The Worlds, Alive On Stage, in which she plays Carrie opposite Liam Neeson.

Oglivy

Performed by Adrian Edmondson

Ogilvy, an eminent astronomer, is one of the first few to take notice of the Martians and he begins by investigating a meteor that turns out to be a Martian “cylinder” or transport tube, but he is initially skeptical of his findings.

Adrian Edmondson is perhaps best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom, which he wrote together with his long-time collaborative partner Rik Mayall. Adrian also appeared in The Comic Strip Presents... series of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the 2000s, he made numerous appearances on our TV screens and more recently has concentrated increasingly on music, forming a band, The Bad Shepherds, and performing and writing for the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.

Jeff Wayne

Michael Sheen

Taron Egerton

Adrian Edmondson

Anna-Marie Wayne

Theo James

Behind the scenes with the cast of Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds

Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton and Jeff Wayne on recording Audible's musical drama

0:00

Critic reviews

"The science-fiction classic undergoes a fantastic modernization, thanks to Jeff Wayne's energetic score and a cast of talented narrators. Michael Sheen capably steps into the character of the unnamed journalist and imbues his narration with steady calm as he recounts the Martian invasion of England. A varied cast coupled with subtle sound effects keeps the drama feeling fresh and dynamic. The musical score complements the story by punctuating the arrival of the Martians and other thrilling moments but also highlights the story's isolating atmosphere. Score and narration combine with high production values, resulting in a unique audio drama that enhances the original story." (AudioFile Magazine)

Martians through the ages

1897
HG Wells' novel The War of The Worlds is published and examines humanity’s struggle for survival in the face of an alien invader, drawing on themes of industrialisation, the expansion of the British Empire, and the relentless advance of technology.

1938
Orson Welles' adaptation of The War of The Worlds airs for CBS Radio and becomes infamous for the media frenzy it caused, with reports of deserted streets and listeners suffering heart attacks.

1976
After reading HG Wells’ novel just once Jeff Wayne is immediately entranced and sets about creating his musical interpretation.

1978
Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds is released in the UK on June 9th and becomes a worldwide success. The album has since gone on to sell more than 15 million copies and has charted in 22 countries.

2005
Steven Spielberg’s War of The Worlds film starring Tom Cruise releases.

2006
The War of The Worlds – Alive On Stage! launches in April, breaking box office records and winning huge critical acclaim. The biggest touring show on earth, the spectacular production is part live musical concert, part theatre, part multimedia, multi-sensory experience.

2012
After several years of planning, The War of The Worlds enters a brand new era in 2012, with the release of a double album and tour known as The New Generation.

2016
Forty years after first starting work on his musical interpretation of The War of The Worlds, the epic production is brought to life in London’s West End at the Dominion Theatre.

2018
To mark the 40th Anniversary of Jeff Wayne’s original album, Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, Theo James, Adrian Edmondson and Anna-Marie Wayne bring to life HG Wells’ original story accompanied by Jeff’s epic, emotive and sensational score in the audio drama Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama.

Most relevant

I very much enjoyed this version but it feels like you probably get the most from this if you're familiar with the music from the original albums.

A couple of the sound effects were bizarre, e.g. the early instance of the typewriter made it sound like the narrator was having a haircut.

On to the 2 issues I had:

1) Having the original (reworked) music without any of the singing felt like a missed opportunity.

2) Some of the strange warbly effects (and deliberate sound cutting out) at the end of some of the tracks was ridiculous. What was JW thinking?

In summary, definitely worth spending a credit on but not quite perfect.