Joey (brown) Topthorn (black)
Last year, Spring Semester, I went on the International Traveling Classroom semester abroad program. The first city we were in was London. As a part of our group activities we went and saw quite a few shows while we were there. One of the shows we went to see was War Horse. There were many horses in this show all of which were life size puppets, many of which were manned by two or three people.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the plot
War Horse takes place in England, France, and Germany during World War I. A young man named Albert comes into possession of a young racing bred horse he names Joey. In order to keep the horse he must train Joey to be able to plow a field. Boy and Horse develop an unbreakable bond and show the rest of the town that the two of them can accomplish anything. Unfortunately the military comes into town seeking men and supplies and Joey is taken to become a Cavalry horse. Albert runs away from home and joins the military in search of Joey. The play breaks off here and jumps from scenes of Joey's struggles, Albert's life in the army, and Albert's family back home. Joey is used in service on both sides of the War. Towards the end of the play Joey becomes caught in barbed wire between the trenches in no-mans land. Both sides lay down their arms and help to free the horse. Joey and Albert wind up in the same encampment, but at this time Albert has severely injured his eyes after a shell blast and can not see. Luckily Albert recognizes the sound of Joey and they are reunited.
the "Half Horses" used for the cavalry charge
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Young Joey and Albert
Learning to race
I found these puppets to be exceptional due mainly to a few facts.
~They were artfully crafted, stylized but also realistic in their own fashion
~Structurally impressive, the larger horse puppets were ridden on stage
~The attention to detail in the small movements made by the puppets. This small business is what really brought them to life and made them appear as though they were living, breathing animals.
I was particularly impressed during the scene in which we witness a work horse collapse from exhsaustion and malnutrition, the way you can see it breathing and wheezing was heart wrenching.
A very heartfelt play. Made me tear up a few times, which is always a good sign. And was well deserving of the standing ovation that it received when we saw it.
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As a side note War Horse is going to be a Movie soon: coming out in December of 2011
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568911/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkIuDx71oTc&feature=related
ReplyDeletethe technical workings of the main puppet, a bit hard to hear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnR9J9FN53M&feature=channel
Joey and Topthorn doing a walkabout in london
I have heard of War Horse various times, but have never had the pleasure of viewing it. The pictures you posted are really amazing. It's so intriguing to see how artfully constructed each puppet really is. I think what is so effective and aesthetically pleasing when just looking at the pictures, is the life sized figures. The sizes of the horses seem very accurate, which I think is really interesting because audience members can really feel like they are part of the story. The comment you stated about the horse that supposedly collapsed from exhaustion and malnutrition, and how it was visible to see it breathing heavily and wheezing, really inspired me to watch War Horse. I think it is so amazing how the pay such close attention to all the intricate and human-like detail. Again, referring to the pictures you posted on your blog, I think a difficult role in this performance to play would be the puppeteers controlling the horses and their actions. It would really require and extensive amount of rehearsal time and cooperation with the other puppeteers. I know, being a dancer and having to rehearse with others can really be a frustrating process, but to be a puppeteer and not only have to worry about what you and the other puppeteers are doing, but you also have to know that you are controlling the main attraction of the show, which is the puppet.
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