Science fiction meets stage at Blackfriars Theatre

Pantaloons present their version of the science fiction masterpiece, War of the Worlds, at Blackfriars Theatre, in Spain Lane, next Friday, March 9.

Audiences can sit back and watch as actors use musical instruments and puppetry to recreate deadly heat-rays and squidgy tentacled Martians.

Other literary masterpieces tackled by The Pantaloons include Pride and Prejudice, The Canterbury Tales and Gulliver’s Travels.

Adapter and co-artistic director of the company, Mark Hayward, said they want the show to be moving as well as amusing.

Mark said: “This new adaptation is very faithful to the text which essentially tells the story of one man’s struggle to survive against impossible odds, driven by the hope of being reunited with his wife.

“The trick to not undermining the heart of a book is to avoid sending up the text itself and instead focus on lampooning theatrical conventions.

“The joke should be about how hard it is to stage a full-blown alien invasion; then we can still tell a tale with pathos and all of H. G. Wells’ insight.”

“After all this is a book in which the initial response from Londoners to the alien invasion is that really the authorities should have done more to keep the trains running on time.”

The show will start at 7.30pm.

Tickets, priced at £14, are available from www.blackfriarsartscentre.co.uk or from the box office on 01205 363108.