War of the Worlds has been a show I've always wanted to see. From a very young age, I remember my grandma setting up the CD player and putting it on for us to listen to at the weekends; and she'd done the same with my mum since she was young.
It's a work that has transcended ages, with generations of love for the Jeff Wayne adaptation of H. G. Wells' literary masterpiece. This is why, as I was seated at the Co-Op Live, I was so excited for the show to begin.
From the moment the lights went down, the atmosphere in the auditorium was electric. The 1978 tune 'The Eve of the War' began to play, probably the most notable from the whole show, setting the scene for the haunting but intriguing show.
Visually, the show is absolutely stunning, and there is so much more to look at than I had anticipated. I suppose because when I used to listen to it, all you had was the soundtrack and your imagination, so to see the strobe lights, flashes, fire, and even a humungous moving model of the Martian was fantastic.
From the word go, it was clear to see why tickets to this show are so in demand. That, plus the fact that Jeff Wayne is conducting it himself all these years after composing the masterpiece feels like such an honour for the audience. What an incredible job he did, too, and I can't believe he composed this at the age of around 27.
Charlie Simpson, most popularly known for being in the rock three piece 'Busted', played the singing voice of the journalist and did a fantastic job.
He proved that he was perfect for the world of musicals and not just hit singles. His stage presence was spot-on, and he set the scene for the rest of the show. Of course, the journalist who narrated the whole show was played by Liam Neeson virtually.
Another stand-out performance for me was Maisie Smith, who was playing the parson's wife, and she really shocked me with her vocal ability. Her emotional singing of 'No Nathanial' to her beloved, played by her real-life boyfriend Max George, was touching, and many in the audience sobbed as she succumbed to the evil Martians.
My favourite performance came from Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds, who played the artilleryman and what a vocally stunning performance he gave, too.
It's hard to enunciate every single word so that a whole stadium can hear you as you sing and speak, but he managed it with poise and grace.
His role was incredibly physical, too, as he ran up and down stairs, ran over bridges, and still managed to sing and play the trumpet with ease.
Every single cast member and performer gave it their all throughout the whole show, and it seriously impressed me. They brought something incredible and dear to me to life, and it was unbelievable.
If it comes to Manchester again, I'd seriously recommend you grab tickets because it's something you need to watch - even if you're not a huge fan.
Often, with shows like this, I can find myself getting quite fidgety towards the end, but this captured me from the start to the final note that was played.
At the end of the performance, Jeff Wayne received a well-deserved standing ovation thanks to his genius and ability to conduct an orchestra and a band for almost two whole hours at the age of 81.
Of course, he couldn't have done it without the cast, orchestra, band, and the rest of the team, though. It was a real team effort. But the audience was in awe of him - he was truly the star of the show, as it wouldn't exist without him.
And the poignant message behind it all? All those years ago, H.G. Wells reminded us that even though the Martians may come and be intellectually superior and more powerful than us, our kindness and humanity set us apart from the machines. Take from that what you will...
