Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama Audiobook By H. G. Wells, Jeff Wayne cover art

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

By: H. G. Wells, Jeff Wayne
Narrated by: Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, Theo James, Adrian Edmondson, Anna-Marie Wayne
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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 Fiction First Contact Science Fiction Adaptation Funny Scary

Go Behind the Scenes with Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, and Jeff Wayne

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Our favorite moments from Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama

The Eve of the War
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Discovery of the Martians
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The Eve of the War
  • The Eve of the War
Heat Ray
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The Eve of the War
  • The Eve of the War
Opening
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  • The Eve of the War
  • Discovery of the Martians
  • The Eve of the War
  • Heat Ray
  • The Eve of the War
  • Opening

About the Creator

Born in Forest Hills, New York, Jeff Wayne is an award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, and producer for stage, film, TV, records, advertising, and interactive projects. His 1978 hit musical interpretation, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, continues to be one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history, and has been the basis for countless performances and tours for audiences worldwide. The progressive creation struck a power chord with audiences, selling millions of copies around the world, and inspired a 1999 Play Station video game, a laser light show, and a 2016 stage production on London’s West End.

About the Performer

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.

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About the Performer

Taron Egerton rose to fame with starring roles in films such as Kingsman: The Secret Service and the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Taron has played Olympic ski jumper Eddie Edwards in Eddie the Eagle, and showed off his musical prowess in the animated film, Sing. He takes on two iconic roles as Robin of Loxley in the 2018 film, Robin Hood, and as Elton John in the upcoming Rocketman.

Immersive Storytelling • Excellent Voice Acting • Atmospheric Sound Effects • Expanded Narrative • Faithful Adaptation
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amazing story, but the flow was interrupted for nee by all the dramatic music sound every corner. I'd highly recommend it though

wonderful, but over dramatised at times

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Music added alot and the performances were great. Very interesting listen. I hope there will be More musical dramas added to audible.

Amazing.

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This dramatization is a perfect blend of Jeff Wayne's musical melodrama and the original War of the Worlds book. The use of the certain themes to characterize the tone of scenes is perfect. It lets you know who the main character is encountering without having to constantly tell the reader. And, of course, Jeff Wayne's music has always been great!

Even if you're not a fan of dramatized books (I'm certainly not) give this one a try!

Excellent Version!

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A classic story with a great cast (everything Michael Sheen touches turns to gold). But the music in this musical drama was more distracting to me than anything else. It had some beneficial effects in certain places but it was overall detrimental to my experience.

Music Doesn't Work

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really enjoyed the remake, everyone did a fantastic job, lots of nostalgia listening to it. did miss the songs though lol

brilliant

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It was a very well done adaptation of a on old theme which is of mans survival by accident.
There is a very compelling idea that there is another story of the invasion from the. Martian point of view where their survival is dependent on an equally heroic effort to save a dying alien civilization.

A wishful random thought

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It’s great to see this concept revisited with a full cast. Upset they didn’t have any of the songs sung but I like that it was a great version of the book.

Nice combo of the original concept album and an audio drama

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A more or less full cast production of the novel set against the backdrop of Jeff Wayne's wonderful musical score. I have the original version of Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds Musical Drama, and at first I missed Richard Burton as the Voice of the Narrator, but Michael Sheen did a wonderful job, as did the rest of the cast. I felt I was there in several spots. Very well done, very much enjoyed, very highly recommended if you're looking for a one sitting listen. And even if you're not.

HG Wells meets Jeff Wayne

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What a delight to find this production. I stumbled across it accidentally and immediately had my curiosity piqued. I liked Wayne's original production, although it hasn't aged especially well, so I wondered how this version would sound. The update is magnificent. The production quality, sound effects, and narration are all top-notch, and the music feels urgent and contemporary. It's as though Wayne has spent the intervening years considering all the things he could do to perfect his original vision, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. I'm so pleased and impressed.

Fantastic Artistry

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Performances are great, nice adaptation for the most part, but ultimately Jeff Wayne’s music ends up being intrusive here. Love Jeff Wayne’s original version with Richard Burton however, so turn to that one for the music.

Better Sticking with the Original

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