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

An Audible Original Drama

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

Written by: H. G. Wells, Jeff Wayne
Narrated by: Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, Theo James, Adrian Edmondson, Anna-Marie Wayne
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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.

©2018 Music Masters: Sony Music Entertainment

©2018 Existing compositions: Universal Music Publishing Group, Jeff Wayne Music (Publishing) Ltd

©2018 Newly composed music: Jeff Wayne Music (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

©2018 Newly composed music: Jeff Wayne Music (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Audio Performances & Dramatizations Dramatizations First Contact Science Fiction

What the critics say

"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)
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This title did not appeal to me. The musical interludes were too long and repetitive. Narration was good but background music was annoying at times. I would not recommend this book.

I am not a fan

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Immersive and splended adaptation of the 1970s classic. This is more like an audio drama with musical interludes. There are times when the wonderful compositions from the original is played. BTW: in this adaptation the actors do not sing and none of the lyrics from the original are present.

If you are new to Jeff Wayn'es work this drama is a fairly faithful version of the plot of the original book by HG Wells, except some of the adventures of George's brother in this adaptation happen to the wife (easier to follow the drama with less characters.

The actors are excellent, but Michael Sheen is standout amazing.

Marvellous! Drama Adaptation of the 1978 Musical

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I rather enjoyed this, if you're a fan of the original musical version you're sure to like this as well, the narrators were excellent.

enjoyable listen from start to finish

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Definitely an audio book experience that is different in a very good way. Bored of listening to the same style of audio book? Pick this up!

Great change of pace

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I had an old copy of the 1978 performance but it finally died…I really missed the song lyrics! The rest of the performances were wonderful, but I’d have loved the lyrics included

No songs!

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Micheal Sheen is an exceptional performer. Kept me utterly engaged with the story. This novel is particular hard to rate because how many varies version exist. I will say I enjoy the narration and they picked excellent people to bring it to life.
The music added excitement throughout but there is no actual singing that takes place. Seeing Taron Egerton I had hope to hear his beautiful singing, but no. Most of the music is at the end of the chapters.
Story wise it an interesting take on human psyche and social structure. Showing the will of survival, the delusions of security, and the what if we were treated as animals. It’s a well written story, and the length was just right.

The War of the Worlds

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My son and I enjoyed every minute. Good fun. Have the 1978 original with songs and it added more to the story for me

Entertaining

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This was excellent! Part way through, I realized it wasn't the musical itself: it was too long.

Instead, it's a dramatic retelling of H. G. Wells's story, including elements from the musical.

One change, which I feel is an improvement: The narrator's wife is given a voice and a name. Carrie, unnamed in the original novel, replaces the protagonist's brother in narrating events in London and the English Channel.

I've just finished reading the Classic Comic book adaptation, and will now listen to the original novel. I hope I won't be too bored by the repetition.

Gives Space Opera a new meaning.

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I am thrilled to have found this. I love it. I recommend it. Give it a go.

As a fan of musical horror

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I'm a longtime fan of the original recorded musical and found this a wonderful blend of a radio drama with the familiar score (and some awesome new stuff)

love it all

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