Central London from May 31, 2019

 

‪Jeff Wayne’s concept album continues to thrill in new ways, taking you closer than ever into his prog-rock version of the H G Wells classic through the latest immersive technology.

‪You could never accuse Jeff Wayne of letting his biggest hit rest on its laurels. Through live arena tours to a New Generation redux to a full-length audio novel version that added hours of new related material, the 1978 phenomenon has continued to evolve beyond its gatefold sleeve and vinyl discs. And so it’s probably no great surprise that this next extension of the brand adds a new layer to the action, dropping you in to Victorian England.

‪Situated in a Victorian building (London’s former Metal Exchange) in the capital’s financial district, the mighty Gherkin building towering over it like a dormant Martian fighting machine, the 22,000 square foot environment has a lot going on. For a start, you’re there for 110 minutes, and you spend the time with your group (up to a dozen members) travelling between 10 ‘experience rooms’. It’s six years after the Martian Invasion, and after being led into a musical hall theatre by one of many in-character guides we meet virtual projections George (Tom Brittney) and Carrie (Anna-Marie Wayne, reprising her role from the live tour). Tom is our narrator and his velvety intonation is with us through the story.

‪What’s particularly exciting about what follows is that there’s so much more than you imagine there will be. You’re taken back in time and witness the capsule blasting from Mars (courtesy of beautiful telescopes), then Ogilvy is immolated by the heat ray on Horsell Common. You climb through windows, slide out of the fighting machine, clamber through holes in the wall – all real-world experiences. The VR aspects are many, and include static and walking around with fellow avatars, as well as being buffeted about and lifted into the air. The Thunder Child section is particularly exhilarating, water splashing your face as the alien tripods wade towards your boat.

‪I don’t want to reveal any more, suffice to say all the big moments are faithfully recreated, including a kinetic flight through an Escher-esque Brave New World. Carrie Hope Fletcher (Heathers, The Addams Family) reprises her role from the live tour as the parson’s wife, Beth, and she has a breathtaking moment in the church as the aliens enter. In many ways the experience relies on your fellow travellers getting into the spirit of it, and after our cocktail in the Red Weed Bar at the halfway point, we all gelled – the exit photo shows our camaraderie. We screamed, we laughed, we stumbled, we drank.

‪As a fan of the recording since its release in 1978 I wonder if I’m the best or worst person to review it. I come to this experience with certain expectations and knowledge, which makes me positively pre-disposed, and possibly also the harshest critic. 1978 me could only dream that this would one day be a thing, and it’s to him I send back in time this big thumbs up; I didn’t stop grinning the whole way round. Co-writer and director Jack Pirie and creator/composer Jeff Wayne have made this fan very happy.

‪Verdict: No one would have believed that minds immeasurably superior to ours would one day bring this treasured sci-fi audio epic to life in such an innovative way – If this is the future of entertainment, count me in. You might think that you’ve been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, but you ain’t seen nothing yet. I literally have no idea how this could be topped, short of being transported directly into Jeff’s mind (Wayne’s World, if you like)… and I’m sure he’s already working on that! Immersive and impressive, it’s a blast. 10/10

Nick Joy

 

 

‪Tickets start from £49.50 and are available to book now at http://www.dotdot.london/TWOTW. The experience lasts 110 minutes, which includes a 20-minute intermission in the Red Weed Bar. It opens to the public today (31 May) and the first two weeks are already sold out.

 

Event location: ‪Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience 56 Leadenhall Street ‪London ‪EC3A 2BJ