Latest tour will be bigger and better

Wayne's live stage show is touring again in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the original release of the album in 1978.

The combination of prog-rock, classical music, big name singers of the time - including Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann, and David Essex, all under the guidance of Richard Burton's haunting narration - proved to be a massive international hit. 

The composer from Queens, New York, composed the album inspired by HG Wells' novel, and Orson Welles' infamous radio performances.

It was a project that took him three years to complete. The album spent over 300 weeks in the UK album charts, and has sold more than 15 million copies to date. 

It would be 27 years until Wayne's composition would become an internationally successful live stage show, indeed it was nothing he had ever considered.

Wayne, pictured left, said: "I did not return to TWOTW until 2005. I began to go through a process of rerecording and repackaging the album.

"With all the new sound technology that was not around in the '70s it was something of a complete recreation. It sounded great, not even like I had ever heard it before. 

"When we released it I could not believe the response, it went straight back into the charts.

"It was in the top 10 of the album charts for 10 weeks, at one point it was fighting Coldplay for the number one spot.

"I was so shocked that the same people who brought the album in 1978 were in such a rush to buy it again.

"But then I asked the record company to do some product research. It turned out, and I could not believe it, that the album was being purchased by 16-25 year-olds. 

"This meant an entirely new generation was finding my album. Their parents experienced it, and another generation had discovered it.

"This is what led to the decision for a one-off performance of the album at The Royal Albert Hall in 2005."
   
While planning and rehearsing for the show Jeff readily admits he was not confident over the response from the public, he had a vision for the show, but did not think people would want to see it.

He said: "I received a call from the promoters, I wanted to see how the tickets were selling. I expected them to tell me we could not even fill half of the venue.

"However they told me that within a few hours of the tickets going on sale the place was completely sold out, and what is more within that period there had been enough demand to fill the place 10 or 11 times over.

"It was at that point the promoters and I decided we might actually be able to take this thing on tour.

"I was asked what I could add to the show so the audience had more to look at than just the band and orchestra. 

"I had already been working on a CGI film version of the album, so I knew we could incorporate that on to a big screen behind the orchestra, and of course we came up with a lot more."

Wayne and his production team went about a process of creating a multi-media experience combining live music, a ten piece band, orchestra, a 100-foot wide projection screen, a three tonne 25-foot high Martian fighting machine, and the ground breaking 11-foot high floating hologram of Richard Burton's head to provide narration.

Wayne said: "I knew with these elements, the right technology, and the right performers we could do something special.

"The promoters booked up six venues, all arenas, for 2006 and they sold out as quickly as the performance at the Royal Albert Hall did.

"After that we decided to do an even bigger tour, the result of that being the 2007 tour of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, it was a phenomenal success.

He said: "We have raised the bar. The 2009 tour will be a whole new experience for the audience. It is bigger and better.

Despite being cautious when discussing what elements will be fresh for 2009 , Wayne did reveal one of the new stunts. He said: "One new ingredient comes from the world of levitation.

"Beth, the Parson's wife, will levitate after her death, the idea being that the Parson is watching her spirit rise. She will rise 15 feet into the air, finish her performance, before disappearing above the audience's heads.

"Our team has been working on this for 16 months with a performer from the Cirque du Soleil.

"You must remember nothing like this has ever been done in an arena before. In the arena you are surrounded on all sides, and that makes a stunt like this nearly impossible.

"It has to be convincing, the audience has to believe it. I will be seeing it for the first time myself very soon, and if it comes off wow, and I mean wow."

Despite three years of constant performing, Wayne is unfazed and as enthused about the music as he was when he originally composed the album.

He said: "I just love conducting. When I arrive on stage I feel like a hovercraft, I'm just floating, and I have a hell of a great time doing it. When I watched myself on DVD, 80 per cent of the time I was smiling like a Cheshire cat and I think that says it all."

Although Wayne makes every effort to provide a fresh show for his audience, the experience is necessarily linked to the past. He said: "What I visualise the most is the original sessions.

"The artists have to walk past my podium as I am conducting when Justin Hayward walks past we always have a look at each other, just a glance, and I think to myself, we started this 30 years ago man, 30 years, wow, what a ride."

The O2 arena, June 20-21, 8pm, £42.50-£55, 0844 856 0202, theo2.co.uk, Jubilee: North Greenwich