War Horse

[admin]

Good luck to War Horse which starts previews tonight at The Lincoln Centre Theatre. A very moving show. Don't miss it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89gJSxQf ... r_embedded

http://www.warhorseonbroadway.com/

[ERinVA]

In the wake of the play's Tony wins, here is an interesting article about the puppetry in the show:

http://www.timesofoman.com/featuredetail.asp?fid=976

Also, although I knew Spielberg was producing the movie, I didn't realize that Lee Hall was one of the writers.

[CJ-Rochester]

I saw "War Horse" Saturday afternoon, prior to starting my weekend Billython. This is truly an amazing play! It is impossible to describe the images and beauty of the horses created for this show. At each performance each horse is "played" by three actors, two under the body and one standing next to him manipulating the head. As with the puppetry in other shows ("Avenue Q", "Lion King") the actors who operate them tend to blend into them. You rarely see the actors' faces.

It must be quite a physically demanding role because the two main horses, Joey and Topthorn, are triple-cast. I overheard before the show some people (who must be regulars) saying things like: "who is playing Joey today?". They have program inserts with the cast for that particular performance.

The story takes place on a farm in England, and on the battle fields in France during WW I. It is an epic type of story, spanning a number of years. A friend who recently saw it told me it is a very sad story. I don't think it is especially sad, but it does include the harsh realities of war. Many soldiers and horses died in this war. I won't spoil the ending, but will say that it was quite an emotional experience for me. I think this show is a must-see for anyone who is impressed with theatrical staging, or who likes epic stories.
-Chris

[CJ-Rochester]

In this video StageWon gets an exclusive interview with Matthew Spencer and Joey, stars of the London production. After watching for just a bit you can see how amazing these horses are crafted and operated!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBdZsSrh ... er&list=UL

[atreyu]

Tonight 8PM ET
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/15 ... NET-Aug-10

[ERinVA]

I guess it was inevitable that War Horse would come to Saturday Night Live.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/ ... se/1374374

[ERinVA]

Of course, the movie of War Horse is due to open wide on Christmas day, but this decidedly sour critic has decided to spoil the show ahead of time with a dreadful review.

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp ... 1cd386d%7D

[CJ-Rochester]

Wow that guy has a real chip on his shoulder. Too bad.

[ERinVA]

Billy and the origins of War Horse:

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-01- ... -war-horse

[angelenroute]

I went to see War Horse last night at Lincoln Center. Thought for a moment I might be seeing President Obama as he was in the area for a fundraiser, but he was elsewhere.

Overall, if I had to use one word to describe the show, it's "accomplishment". It's really amazing to see what they manage to recreate on this simple stage in the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. There's not really a set, but there are many settings. Through simple staging, powerful music, and authentic props and costumes, they bring you into England in the early 1900s. It doesn't take an active imagination, as the story itself carries you forward, and your love of Joey the horse only increases with each passing minute, as your knowledge that he isn't a real horse rapidly decreases throughout the show. Forgetting that this puppet, controlled by three or more actors, is not a real horse? Now that is the highest praise I can give, and proves why accomplishment is the word of the day. They accomplish a setting, characters, a story that transforms the feel of the whole theatre so much so that you realize after the second or third scene that your whole body has tensed up with concern for the main characters.

I'm a musical theatre fan who appreciates the brilliance of great plays only as a secondary hobby, so this show was not a favorite of mine. That is in no way putting it down. I simply don't care for this kind of tense, dramatic play. But damn if it didn't have my attention held every moment. Sorry to say, a fellow a row or two behind me lost interest, and was heard snoring by everyone nearby not once, not twice, but three or four times. I can see how the slow pace of the show, especially the first act, can make you lose interest if you don't pay attention, but this guy didn't even try. I smile to think of the shock he must have gotten as the sound of gunfire rang out from the set as World War I was reenacted before us!

There were some surprises too. Moments when actors appeared from no where and gave me chills with their haunting chants. A puppet so real I thought it was looking at me, and I wondered if it ever gets tired of being on stage. A little girl in the play who was just so cute and adorable. She must not have been any older than 13 but gave an absolutely perfect performance. A stage that I learned wasn't so simple after all, which surprised me with its complexity not once but twice during the show. And the tears and sniffling I couldn't hide as the story reached its finale, affecting me whether I liked it or not.

Overall, it's a wonderful play well deserving of this successful Broadway run at Lincoln Center. Pretty much every seat is good, so don't be too concerned about where you sit, just get yourself a ticket anyway. A play like this by a cast and production team like this is an accomplishment of incredible proportions. Getting you to care so much for the welfare of a fictitious set of characters in a staged recreation of a war with a fake horse at the center? That's an awesome accomplishment, and one of the blessings of live theatre! Well done, War Horse. Well done!

Sean