Jeff Wayne’s musical version of The War of the Worlds is hitting the road for a new arena tour in 2022 – here’s all you need to know.
From the 2022 Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds musical tour cast to all the upcoming dates and venues, this is your guide to the show on the road.
Based on HG Wells’ dark Victorian tale, the extravagant updated production – titled The Life Begins Again Tour – features surround sound, lighting, pyrotechnics and otherworldly special effects
The cast will include Steps star Claire Richards making her debut as Beth, The Parson’s Wife with former Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer and West End star Kevin Clifton as The Artilleryman. Joining them on the cast is Callum O’Neil as Wells.
Audiences can also expect to see Liam Neeson in 3D holography as journalist George Herbert and the 35-foot-tall Martian Fighting Machine firing real flame Heat Rays, along with the nine-piece Black Smoke Band and ULLAdubULLA symphonic string orchestra.
Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds musical 2021 tour dates and venues
Dates for the Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds musical UK tour start…
Meet the 2020 tour cast!
The cast for the 2022 tour will include Steps star Claire Richards making her debut as Beth, The Parson’s Wife. She’s joined by former Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer and West End star Kevin Clifton as The Artilleryman.
Callum O’Neil will play Wells with Nathan James as The Voice of Humanity, Blue star Duncan James as Parson Nathaniel, Justin Hayward as The Sung Thoughts of The Journalist and Anna-Marie Wayne as Carrie, The Journalist’s Fiancée.
Jeff said: “Why are we calling this The Life Begins Again Tour? It’s certainly a name appropriate for the times we have been living through since the first lockdown in 2020, caused by the pandemic. But ironically, the title comes from a musical phrase in my original 1978 double-album just as Humanity learns that the Martians, with all their superior intelligence, incredible machines and weaponry, hadn’t foreseen one particular thing – the common cold, and the bacteria that caused it.
“And in a sneeze, they were gone! Now from all over Britain, mankind began returning to their homes. Life was beginning again. By 2014 I decided that original musical phrase should be expanded into a full song, performed by all the characters we have met along the way, and it has appeared in every tour and production since.”