Summer may have at last arrived but it is always good to have treats to look forward to in the bleak and cold months that inevitably lie ahead. And is there a treat in store!? The multi award winning show War Horse, based on a novel by former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo, plays for three weeks in early 2014 at the Festival Theatre and will be the only Scottish performances the show during its British and Irish tour.
On Tuesday 11th June at the Festival Theatre, a specially invited audience that included Edinburgh school children had an extra special preview of the National Theatre’s multi- award-winning production War Horse that could well take the title of the Greatest Puppet Show on Earth.
Following a special early morning appearance at Edinburgh Castle, Joey, the life-size equine puppet from War Horse appeared, with the magical gasping capacity to completely bowl over the audience, young and old alike.
The on-stage event was preceded by a few words from Stephen Rebbeck, the managing director of War Horse. A puppetry demonstration and talk about the history of the show came from the show’s Associate Puppetry Director, Finn Caldwell, who has worked on War Horse since its early development when it was at its workshop stage 2007 and later in the West End when his roles included playing the original Head of Topthorn, another horse in the show, and the Goose.
Using a series of slides, Caldwell showed the various stages that were gone through to achieve the stunning end result that is the beautiful and utterly believable Joey. Inspired by the work of South African puppet company, Handspring, and created by Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones of Handspring, Joey as a foal and as a fully grown horse were created. Handmade by 14 craftspeople, it takes eight months to create a complete set of puppets from cane, leather and tyvec for the manes and tails. With the torso reinforced with aluminium to enable the carrying of a rider, the finished horse puppets weigh approximately 43 kilos for the body and another 7.7 kilos for the head. While the nuts and bolts of creation were put on display, the end result and its bringing to life of these crafted materials by the puppeteers retained the magic.
The three puppeteers who will operate Joey in Edinburgh, Shaun McKee (Head), Matt Tait (Heart) and Sam Clark (Hind) gave a unique and awe inducing puppetry demonstration that displayed the sensitivity and teamwork involved and answered questions from a sea of eager hands. The show has 23 puppets that include birds as well as horses, and puppeteers train for eight weeks in basic principles of puppetry before they work specifically on creating the horses and ultimately performing.
War Horse is based on a novel by former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo, and tells the powerful story of a young boy called Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, who has been requisitioned to fight for British in World War I. Caught in enemy crossfire, Joey ends up serving on both sides during the war before landing in no man’s land, while Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home. This remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship that brings breathing and galloping horses to life on stage is one with an emotional message of peace and humanity coming to Edinburgh in the year of the centenary of the First World War.
Now in its sixth year in London’s West End, The National’s production of War Horse is currently running in Australia, and on tour in North America, with a new German language production (Gefahrten) opening at the Stage Des Westens in Berlin in October 2013. It has been seen by over 3 million people worldwide since its premiere at the National Theatre in 2007.
Edinburgh dates
Wed 22 January to Sat 15 February 2014, 7.30pm; Thu & Sat 2.30pm
Tickets
£50 - £20 Premium seats up to £65
UK and Ireland Tour dates
Theatre Royal Plymouth 27 September – 12 October 2013
Birmingham Hippodrome 16 Oct – Sat 9 November 2013
The Lowry, Salford 20 November 2013 – 18 January 2014
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 22 January – 15 February 2014
The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 19 February – 15 March 2014
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin 26 March – 26 April 2014
Sunderland Empire 30 April – 17 May 2014
Alhambra Theatre, Bradford 21 May – 14 June 2014
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff/ 18 June – 19 July 2014
Canolfan Mileniwn Cymru