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Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds - The Audible Musical Drama
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This is the 2018 Audible version of "Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds", which was created by Jeff and Doreen Wayne specifically for Audible on the 40th Anniversary of their original album release. With new music, clips of the original score and a new, different story aspect, this version of the classic tale is sure to become as loved as the original album.
There are 2 different versions available to download - one file is the complete audiobook, unsplit, running continuously from beginning to end.
The other version is the complete audiobook but split into the chapters as spoken in the audiobook.
All of the tracks are in flac format
Runtime: approx 5h 04m
H. G. Wells’ The War of The Worlds established the blueprint for the alien invasion story. And now, eighty years after the initial radio adaptation, Audible and Jeff Wayne are building on The War of The Worlds' rich audio legacy, with a new production marrying the suspense, drama and urgency of Wells’ original novel and Jeff’s epic, emotive and sensational score. Prepare to enter a world that’s as thrilling as it is desolate.
Summary
When H. G. Wells first published The War of The Worlds in 1898, the novel quickly became a sci-fi classic. The story of extra-terrestrials 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.
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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.
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