'The New Generation' as it is now known, played to packed arenas throughout the UK and Northern Europe this winter but the tried and trusted team of Simon Honywill, FOH engineer, sound production company RG Jones, and Martin Audio's full catalogue of MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array) components were once again on hand to create the soundscape.
Conducted by Jeff Wayne, the most ambitious production yet featured Liam Neeson in 3D holography, Jason Donovan as Parson Nathaniel, Westlife's Brian McFadden as The Sung Thoughts of The Journalist, X Factor 2005 winner Shayne Ward as the Artilleryman, Les Miserables' Carrie Hope Fletcher as Beth, Parson Nathaniel's Wife, X Factor 2013's, Joseph Whelan, as The Voice of Humanity, the 36-piece ULLAdubULLA Strings and the nine-piece Black Smoke Band.
The show, which is mixed live in Surround Sound, features remarkable special effects, including the three-tonne 35-foot tall Martian Fighting Machine firing real flames into the Arena, a 100ft wide "animation wall" with two hours of CGI, the incineration of a cast member in front of the audience's eyes, and a ground-breaking levitation effect!
Simon Honywill believes this to be the most daring production so far, and was delighted that he once again had MLA under his control. "Frankly, in an ideal world it would be the only system I would ever work with. It's the most intelligent touring system ever, that has been responsible for the dramatically increased level of performance and coverage consistency, and paints such a neutral canvas that the slightest adjustment I make on the desk delivers exactly what I want for the audience."
The War of The Worlds has to be one of the most challenging pieces of music to portray accurately in a live setting. The musical elements, consisting of the band, the orchestra, the narration, live acting and singing, playback and surround effects, occupy over 140 input channels, and the audiences rightly expect an unprecedented level of detail.
The rest of the production is just as epic, and this makes for a very demanding daily task for the entire crew, working to a very tight schedule with 12 trucks of gear to load in and out.
(Jim Evans)
