Coming to the Union Theatre in London next week, before hitting the Edinburgh Fringe in August, War of the Worlds (On a Budget) is a twist on the classic, incorporating new music and a plethora of interesting depictions of props. With a cast of just one, an array of hilariously creative methods have promised a fun production ahead.
Becky Owen-Fisher is the co-director and producer of the piece: read on to find out more from her about the show, and its creation.
Are you able to give us an insight into what to expect from War of the Worlds (On a Budget)?
War of the Worlds (On a Budget) is a one-person comedy musical action adventure. If you come to see the show, you can expect a whole lot of laughs, epic action and a brilliant soundtrack of songs.
What inspired you, and drew you towards producing and directing this piece?
During lockdown we did a lot of shows online and War of the Worlds (On a Budget) was one of the first ideas we created. We love sci-fi and it's really exciting trying to put epic action sequences on a stage, especially with the added comedy of budget constraints. War of the Worlds is such a timeless story, and we love a challenge!
How have you preserved the legacy of War of the Worlds, while putting your own spin on it?
Our soundtrack is inspired by Jeff Wayne's super famous album, and the story is similar to that of the book, but we have a lot of twists and turns which make the show relevant to a modern audience and create some tricky situations for our performer.
Please may you discuss the process of putting the different elements of show together- how do the character concepts and array of props fit with the new music featured, as well as comedy?
Because it's a one person show, we had to make some clever multifunctional props. We like to push things to the absurd, so our performer plays a lot of non-human characters including 'The Planet Mars', the aliens, and even a gunboat. When we were devising the show, we challenged ourselves to make it as difficult as possible for our performer, asking him to play whole groups of people at any given moment, or to have conversations with himself. From there we had to work out how to make props and costumes that would enhance the scenes and make the jokes even funnier! We use music to tell a story the whole way through the show, there's ballads, rock songs, jazz and full on Broadway dance routines.
Without spoilers, can you hint at a part in the script that people may find particularly funny?
One of the most famous parts of HG Wells' story is the red weed. The way we shown that on stage is the part that still makes me howl with laughter!
Why do you think audiences will enjoy the production?
War of the Worlds (On a Budget) is the epitome of a great night out. An epic story in an intimate setting with great music, silly props and ridiculous jokes, what more could anyone want?
And lastly, how would you sum up the show in just one sentence?
Hilariously bonkers comedy musical for grown up kids.
Many thanks to Becky for sharing this with us, and best of luck to all involved for the run!
You can get your tickets here:
