THE critically acclaimed adaption of HG Wells’ The War of the Worlds comes to MAST Mayflower Studios next month.

The Southampton stop follows sold-out runs in London and in Edinburgh.

Inspired by Orson Welles’ classic radio play, almost 80 years to the day since the original broadcast was reported to have caused widespread panic in its listeners, this legendary icon of science fiction is reimagined for our era of deliberate disinformation, ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’.

The War of the Worlds slips between 20th and 21st century lives and listeners as if moving the dial on a radio: atmospheric and disorienting.

Rhum and Clay are renowned for the humour and physicality of their productions as well as their ability to create beautiful, visually textured on-stage worlds.

The War of the Worlds explores our inability to separate fact from fiction and our active complicity in the process of being hoodwinked: lies dressed as truth and truth presented as fiction. But even fake events cause real reactions. With references ranging from H.G Wells and Orson Welles via Jeff Wayne and a nod to Tom Cruise, this intense, unsettling and raucously entertaining reinvention of the original alien invasion myth shows that in the darkest of times, the truth is a very precious commodity.

The War of the Worlds runs from June 2 to 5.

Tickets are on sale now from mayflowerstudios.org.uk