dotdotdot Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds – Martians have invaded

Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds hits London this Spring which will take daring adventures on an adventure like no other.

I and some other community members of Love Pop Ups London we were invited down courtesy of dotdotdot on a complimentary basis to step into the world of Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds.

dotdotdot

They love to bring their audiences augumented reality through an immersive virtual reality adventure.

dotdotdot returns to London after it’s award winning, critically acclaimed run, Somnai with Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds.

The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel written by English author H. G. Wells back in 1898.  Written between 1895 and 1897, it is one of the earliest stories to detail a conflict between mankind and an extra-terrestrial race. The novel is the first-person narrative of both an unnamed protagonist in Surrey and of his younger brother in London as southern England is invaded by Martians. The novel is one of the most commented-on works in the science fiction canon.

Jeff Wayne version of The War of The Worlds is a musical debut album, retelling the story of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, released in the UK 9 June 1978. The concept album main format is progressive rock and string orchestra, using narration and leitmotifs to carry the story and rhyming melodic lyrics that express the feelings of the various characters. The two-disc album remains a bestseller, having sold millions of records around the world, and by 2009 it was the 40th best selling album of all time in the UK with sales of 2,561,286. It has since spawned multiple versions of the album, video games, DVDs, and live tours.

Now dotdotdot brings to London has combined it’s version of The War of The Worlds and Jeff Wayne’s musical masterpiece together in an augumented world like never before using the latest technology.

This immersive experience brings immersive theatre to another dimension with virtual reality, augmented reality, holograms and other cutting-edge technology, giving audiences the chance to live through the Martian invasion of 1898.

Visitors will be thrust into the heart of the story from the moment they step inside the vast 22,000-square foot multi-level site in Central London, which is being transformed for this unique Martian adventure.

Question is will you be brave enough to take on the Martians?

WARNING if you read on there are spoilers.

Invasion day arrives!

Upon arriving at the bar we all sat down and had a pre-drink before adventuring back in time to the Victorian era of when Martians invaded the earth fictionally.

The large Martian above us let us know of when it was time for our fight to begin by letting of some steam and revealing a coloured light corresponding to our wrist band. 

Greeted at the door by a well dressed Victorian man we were led into The War of the Worlds.

The Theatre

We met George and Carrie in hologram form and travelled back into George’s memories through the use of a magic lantern, a zoetrope and 360 degree projection mapping.

Observatory

Walking in Head Astronomer Professor Ogilvy’s shoes, we are taken on a tour of the Royal Observatory to experience the magic of constellations
and planets. Whilst looking through his telescopes though we all saw a peculiar object heading straight to Earth.

“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.”

― H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds

Horsell Common

Rushing out of the royal Observatory we come across Horsell Common
where there is a misty chill in the air. Suddenly we are all met with a Martian tentacles.

Unfortunately our guide was met with a gruesome end.

George’s house

Breaking into George Herbert’s house for escape we we were greeted with by a the home owner with sweets and she told us of her homemade pies but before we could even get a sniff or even a munch on her pies sadly their was a Martian attack. We were plunged into darkness sadly she never made it out alive.

Brave London

Taking to the streets of London we braverly adventure through the streets ready to battle through a war-zone and this is where we met face to face a 300ft Martian with tentacles swaying in full VR glory.

Boat ride

With the help of soldiers and the navy we are placed in boats to flee the attack from the Martians. There was water, wind and a chill in the air, as sailed the high seas in this epic escape.

Interval time at The Red Weed Themed Bar

After making it alive we had time for a 20 minute breathier to celebrate within a bar which has been designed on Jeff Wayne The Red Weed. It felt like we had stepped within inside a Martians motherboard.

Graveyard and Church

We then visited a graveyard to mourn for the loss before entering a church but unfortunately all the Martians seem not to have been destroyed or left planet earth.

“Be a man!… What good is religion if it collapses under calamity? Think of what earthquakes and floods, wars and volcanoes, have done before to men! Did you think that God had exempted [us]? He is not an insurance agent.”

― H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds

World being rebuilt

Eventually all Martians are destroyed and we watch as the the world as we know it starts to get rebuilt with hospitals through to houses.

Hot Air Balloon adventure

We then set sail on a hot air balloon which we soare over earth, which we feel the wind and smoke billows in our faces whilst we are taken back to where we started The Steam Punk bar within London. home where we see earth from high above before ending up back home at The Steampunk Bar where we started.

Note: not all scenes are virtual reality as some are played out by real life actors. Where there is a requirement for the VR devices you will be equipped at those stages.

What an adventure and the perfect place to end back up at as we ended up back at the bar to celebrate our victory. 

However as H.G. Wells wrote:

 “We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians . . . were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space if fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?”

Verdict

I loved adventuring through the 22,000 square foot venue which made us feel like we were in the land of The War of the Worlds. 

As this was a preview stage there was a few glitches from virtual reality characters freezing and some sound issues. 

The Observatory had no issues but be advised there is real fire at points so if you don’t like fire don’t stand near the fence when you are led to marsh lands.

Whilst on the bridge wearing our virtual reality headsets Horsell Common I would off loved to of been able to reach out and feel the bridges ropes and cannons but alas there was nothing. In Somnai they did have rope and things to touch to make you feel more immersed and in the situation.   Plus watch how everyones character walks looks as though we have all soiled ourselves, highly amusing.

At Carrie’s house be warned there will be a moment of complete pitch blackness.  Also whilst sitting in the pitch black I would of loved to off seen some laser beams of say the Martian trying to hunt us out rather than just pure pitch blackness.  

I loved the boat ride I felt like we were really on the high seas swishing up and down within the waves.  The only thing is though some of us felt water and some of us did not as I never and I would off loved to of.

I found the graveyard a bit boring nothing really happened and I was expecting when we stood in a circle together that something would of come down from above but nothing.

The church the characters froze as times and in my case the Martian at the end did not move at all which was not supposed to happen.

Other than those slight technical issues sand where I feel improvement could be added I loved The War of the Worlds.

The acting from the pre recorded virtual reality characters and real live actors were all played out very well and really did immerse us all into the world of The War of the Worlds.  I loved the way that some of us also were given tasks from bandaging us a ruined solider to being a look out person.  

My favourite scenes though was certainly the Hot Air Balloon and the Boat as it really did feel like I was in a real one with the movement of the hot air balloon and the virtual reality headsets really did make my mind and body feel like we were bobbing up and down on the high seas.

I would recommend but maybe go after the preview stages once all glitches have been sorted out to take on the Martians within this augumented immersive virtual world.

We all fought our way through this immersive adventure and fought Martians and lived to survive.

Question is will you be brave enough?

Take on the Martians yourself

Dotdotdot The War of the Worlds

56 Leadenhall Street
London,
EC3A 2BJ

Book via clicking here.

You will be placed in a group of 12.
The whole experience will last 110 minutes which includes a 20 minute intermission
The experience is suitable for anyone aged 12 and over.

Note: It is not suitable for sufferers of motion sickness, dizziness, psychological or neurological disorders. Please see our full terms of entry for more information.

Thank you to dotdotdot for the invite. All views are my own honest opinion.

Click below to read the other members blogs who joint me on the journey through the land of the Martians. All are of their own honest opinion.

dotdotdot production of Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds