THEATRE REVIEW: The War Of The Worlds - The Rotunda, Buxton.

‘The War Of The Worlds’ has undergone two major film productions, a high-profile (and very woke) TV series and a big-stage musical adaptation, not forgetting Orson Welles's celebrated TV version. It's a story everyone feels they know, so it might be asked what more can a one-man stage version add? The answer is probably something to do with an observation of how we process events rather than simply performance storytelling.

The premise of Ross Ericson’s adaptation is that he is telling the whole story to a dead person, which his character feels is strangely appropriate, as if something has died within himself. Ross’s character certainly gets animated when giving various recollections, aided by a video back-screen and excellent sound effects, but for the most part he speaks in the measured tones of someone recollecting a long past event. This is realistic because recent traumas have the ability to seem both immediate and distant because of the shock to the system, which a Martian invasion is likely to have induced.

An interesting touch is that in several sections, typically in recounting action events, the sounds Ross speaks over are continuous, whether a panicked crowd or Martian construction work, which give an added vitality as well as giving more credence to his quieter contemplations. Lighting is also used to good and varied effect, from full stage to just parts of Ross’s face illuminated by a small lamp in almost total darkness.

There is much that will be familiar, from the tunnel-building artillery man to the ship, ‘Thundercloud’; but there are several other anecdotes which are very human, having nothing to do with aliens and not to be found in the big screen versions. At times there is even contemplative science as Ross ponders how Martians seem to have evolved to the point that they virtually have no bodies, and wonders if this is the ultimate destiny of mankind.

This is a very thoughtful, and in many ways surprisingly gentle, take on a familiar story. The human quality of one man coming to terms with so much trauma and devastation coming from nowhere could apply as much to a rural farmer in present day Ukraine as to an Englishman in Victorian London during a world war. Ross's presentation is compelling, well thought-out and a compelling take on a familiar tale.

Reviewer - John Waterhouse

on - 24.7.22