Music: The War of the Worlds musical

[liv]

Information about the musical

Verdict: Fun, though it didn't really grab me.

Reasons for listening to it / how it came into my hands: lethargic_man lent it to me.

The concept of a musical version of The War of the Worlds is a very cool one. Bearing in mind I've not read the original book, I have to say I found the story slightly silly. But it's well done, and presents quite a few engaging characters.

As for the music itself, I did like the themes that keep repeating throughout the musical, for example the weird whistling that represents the Martians. It was generally very effective at creating a sense of atmosphere, while working well on a more abstract, musical level. But the actual songs are not the sort of memorable or catchy musical numbers that I would hope for. It's a bit weird the way that the songs actually advance the narrative; I'm more used to the idea that the narration tells the story, and then the songs are fitted into that. Thunderchild in particular comes across as slightly silly because of the way the singer tells the audience what is going on. Forever Autumn is rather a sweet song, though.

The opening song The chances of anything coming from Mars surprised me because my brothers always sing bits of it to make the point that it's silly to discuss how improbable something is if it's already happened. And I didn't know that it came from this musical.

Anyway, yeah, that was interesting, and rather different from any music I normally listen to.

Comments

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Bearing in mind I've not read the original book, I have to say I found the story slightly silly.

It's fairly close to the book; but there were a few significant changes, such as the whole love interest thing. Also, the characters have been made much more stronger, which I am not sure was either necessary or a good thing. (The parson, for example, in the book spends his whole time vacillating about whether or not to confront the Martians. And where in the musical the narrator, after having knocked him out, drags him down to the cellar when a Martian machine appears at the window; in the book he stumbles over the parson's prostrate body in his attempt to get out of the room himself.)

Forever Autumn is rather a sweet song, though.

Yes, I do like it myself. I think this was an extant Thin Lizzy song that got reused in this album.

The opening song The chances of anything coming from Mars surprised me because my brothers always sing bits of it to make the point that it's silly to discuss how improbable something is if it's already happened.

What the musical doesn't point out is that Ogilvie, the astronomer who says these words, ends up being almost the very first of the Martians' victims.

Anyway, yeah, that was interesting, and rather different from any music I normally listen to.

When we're in Newcastle next, I'll lend you the book; and show you the rather good artwork that accompanies the album (the sole advantage of having it on LPs is I get full-sized artwork) -- and the Salvador Dali picture that one of the pictures is based on (which I'd have never found out about had Paul not showed it to me).

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Forever Autumn is rather a sweet song, though.

Yes, I do like it myself. I think this was an extant Thin Lizzy song that got reused in this album.

Don't believe so. [ This is the bit where I get to say "My father knew Phil Lynott", which would make a good title for the first volume of an improbably long autobiography. ]

I very much like the War of the Worlds musical, but it is on the list of things Not To Be Played In This Flat because it gets stuck in Papersky's head and depresses her.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

B.but I thought papersky likes cosy catastrophes!

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Ours not to reason why, ours but to negotiate around each other's eccentricities.