ShareJeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds The Spirit Of The Man performed at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Thursday 10th April 2025.
Review by Kevin Cooper
There are very few shows that can match the sheer spectacle of Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds The Spirit Of Man Tour which landed at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena on Thursday night, and showed why this adaptation of the H.G.Wells 1898 novel continues to captivate audiences.
The novel was most memorably dramatised in a 1939 radio production directed by and starring Orsen Wells that caused public panic among listeners who did not know that the Martian invasion was fictional.
In 1978 Wayne embarked upon a project to turn the book into an album and on its release it became an instant classic thanks to his infectious music and the huge names attached to the project including David Essex, The Moody Blues star Justin Hayward, Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott and acting royalty Richard Burton to name just a few.
Such was the success of the album, that sold over 2.7 million copies in the UK and worldwide, an estimated 15 million copies, that Wayne’s next project in 20026 was to put the story on to the stage and it has been going from strength to strength since then.
For this version of the stage production, the imposing set features a full orchestra and The Black Smoke Band, who worked together to recreate the infectious beats from the album. A large screen at the back of the stage and two giant screens on either side serve to help document the story, showing film scenes featured in the show.
Towering above the stage, Liam Neeson as The Narrator appeared in 3D holography and announced the end of the world with a calm authority. The ominous notes of The Eve Of The War thundered through the Arena to announce an evening of grand scale and high drama that included all kinds of special effects.
But the cast that Wayne has put together really did the story justice. Busted’s Charlie Simpson delivered an emotive and powerful Sung Thoughts Of The Journalist and really nailed Forever Autumn as leaves fell from the upper echelons of the Arena. Max George of The Wanted and Eastender star Maisie Smith brought strong chemistry as Parson Nathaniel and Beth, and their duet of The Spirit Of Man was a highlight and Inglorious’ Nathan James belted out as The Voice Of Humanity with his huge powerful rock voice.
Towards the end of the second act, a bridge was revealed which arched over the audience sat in the stalls, and Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds as The Artilleryman, walked across it to a smaller platform and stole the show with his unbelievable vocal range as he delivered his Brave New World performance.
Phone cameras were out to witness an imposing huge fire breathing Martian descending from the ceiling onto the stage to deploy its heat ray upon the crowd. Emitting fire and watching the crowd intently, it was a wonderful spectacle to witness; it was true theatre.