Classic is out of this world
NORTHERN STAGE’S ADAPTATION OF A SCI-FI CLASSIC IS RETURNING TO INVADE THE REGION, SAYS LESLEY OLDFIELD
BRITAIN feared an alien invasion was happening when Orson Welles debuted his version of The War of the Worlds on national radio back in 1938 under the guise of a news broadcast.
The Northern Stage adaptation of HG Well’s sci-fi classic is not fake news, however, it has had a good share of the headlines with rave reviews for its performances.
Now the show is coming back to the Newcastle theatre as well as going on tour around Northumberland, County Durham, and Cumbria. It will also go to small venues like Jarrow Hall, in Jarrow, for what will be the venue’s very first stage play.
The adaptation by Laura Lindow had a sell-out run in January and got a five-star rating from our reviewer who said: “What an absolute blast! Terrific performances, an exciting script and a wonderfully eerie soundtrack characterise a production in which all the elements seem precision engineered.”
The tale of a violent Martian invasion is relocated to Newcastle in 1898 and tells the story of the survivors who become refugees in their own country.
An eerie soundscape summoning up the industrial heritage of the North East has been created by Mariam Rezaei, composer in residence at Newcastle’s Literary and Philosophical Society.
Matt Runham, senior producer at Northern Stage, said: “It’s great to be able to take work out on tour to different venues and communities across the North East and to develop new audiences. This is the first time we will be taking work to Jarrow and we are hoping this is the start of a longer-term relationship.”
Leigh Venus of Groundwork South Tyneside which runs Jarrow Hall said: “Genuine and meaningful engagement with the local community is deeply rooted in Groundwork’s values, and arts and culture are a fantastic way to do this. Our aim is to consistently deliver great experiences so each of our events brings something unique to the year-round programme at Jarrow Hall, offering a fantastic showcase of creativity and talent.”
The show, starring Charlotte Ryder, Jack Lloyd, Lauren Waine and Luke Maddison, is directed by Elayce Ismail who has directed theatre and opera for companies including the National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Young Vic, Gate, Soho Theatre, Royal Court, The Yard and Deutsches Theater Berlin.
The War of the Worlds is at Northern Stage from September 19 to 22 and then on tour from September 27 until October 19. See Northern Stage for the full list of tour dates and booking details.