PREVIEW
A version of this preview article appears in Herald
Sun news section on Monday, Dec 31, 2012 on p 14.
Australian
Cast of War Horse with Joey, the horse; Photo by Joe Calleri
If sales are any indication, Melburnians are stampeding for tickets to the Australian production of War Horse, a play about a boy separated from his beloved horse, Joey, during World War One.
After
smashing London and New York box office records, War Horse
has now broken the record for largest sales of any show in the history
of Arts Centre Melbourne. This matches the record-breaking ticket
sales in London and New York.
Chris
Harper, producer for the National Theatre of Great Britain, describes the UK sales as
phenomenal. ”It has the highest selling advance sales for any show in London.”
The stars
of this epic, emotionally charged play by National Theatre of Great Britain and
Global Creatures, are the startling, life-sized horse puppets that appear to
breathe and pulsate with power and grace.
Harper claims that War Horse is the Queen’s
favourite show and that she came on a private visit to see the show, sitting with the rest of the audience in a very low key visit. It started with Princess Anne then... in the best tradition of word of mouth, they (the royal family) all came."
This
would explain why, during the
Queen’s Jubilee Flotilla in 2012, Joey reared
and saluted Her Maj from the National Theatre on the banks of the Thames.
Never
perform with children or animals, says the old stage adage. Do puppets count? Those actors must be quaking in their boots.
By Kate Herbert Dec 30, 2012
Joey the horse with puppeteers. Photo by Joe Calleri
Stage adaptation by Nick Stafford, based on novel by Michael Morpurgo (War
Horse)
By The National Theatre of
Great Britain and Global Creatures
Puppetry by Handspring Puppet Company
State Theatre, Melbourne Arts Centre
Opening night: Monday Dec 31, 2012
Melbourne Season: Dec 23, 2012 to March 3, 2013
Sydney: Lyric Theatre, from
March 16, 2013
Brisbane: Lyric Theatre
from July 6, 2013
Directors: Marianne Elliott &
Tom Morris
Director, Australian production:
Drew Barr
Puppetry:Handspring Puppet Company (Adrian Kohler & Basil Jones)
Music: Adrian Sutton
Songmaker: Tams
Sound: Christopher Shutt
Lighting: Paule Constable
Design: Rae Smith
Video design: Leo Warner & Mark
Grimmer
WAR HORSE
CAST CREDITS
THE PEOPLE
James Bell Billy / Ludwig
Nicholas Bell Arthur / Sgt Thunder
Ian Bliss Ted /Strauss
Adam Booth Stewart /Heine
Mark Constable Carter / Klebb / Manfred
Andre de Vanny David
Mischana Dellora-Cornish Ensemble Girl / Baby Joey / Annie Gilbert
Dave Evans Songman
Cody Fern Albert
Natasha Herbert Rose
Anna Houston Ensemble Woman / Matron Callaghan
Belinda Jombwe Emilie
Rory Kelly Ensemble Boy / Baby Joey
Drew Livingston Acting Ensemble Swing
Dale March Nicholls / Paddy/ Dr Schweyk / Heine
Kenneth Moraleda Ensemble Man / Vet Martin
Emma Palmer Paulette / Baby Joey
Gareth Reeves Klausen / Allan
John Thompson Songman
Andrew Tighe Priest / Friedrich
Karlis Zaid Bone / Fine / Schnabel
THE HORSES
Nick Barlow Joey – Head
Kailah Cabanas Joey/Topthorn - Head
Michael Cullen Topthorn – Heart
Nick Eaton Joey – Heart
Grant Foulkes Joey/Topthorn - Heart
Lincoln Hall Topthorn – Hind
Kiera Lyons Joey/Topthorn – Hind
Ben McIvor Joey/Topthorn – Hind
Sarah Nelson Joey - Hind
John Shearman Joey/Topthorn – Head
Michael Wahr Joey/Topthorn – Head
Drew Wilson Joey/Topthorn – Heart
War Horse Facts and Figures
(February 2012)
·
War Horse received its World Premiere at the National Theatre on 9 October 2007 and
played in the Olivier for 92 performances until 14 February 2008 and was seen
by over 104,000 people.
·
War Horse returned to the National Theatre for a second run playing from 10
September 2008 – 18 March 2009 for a total of 114 performances and was seen by a
further 130,000 people.
·
War Horse transferred to the West End in 2009 with its first performance at the New
London Theatre on 28 March 2009. War
Horse is currently booking until 16 February 2013 at the New London Theatre.
·
In
February 2011 the 1 millionth patron to see the production in London met with
writer Michael Morpurgo and was photographed with horses Joey and Topthorn.
·
In February
2012 almost 1.3 million people had seen War Horse in London, with over 1.7
million seeing the production worldwide.
·
War Horse has been seen by The Queen, Prince Phillip, Princess Anne, Prince
William and Prince Harry as well as other famous faces including Michael Caine, Rupert
Everett, Ethan Hawke, James Earl Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Keira Knightley, Annie Lennox, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Miranda Richardson, Alan Rickman, Meg Ryan, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Hilary
Swank, Alec Baldwin, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Susan Sarandon, Sharon
Stone, Diana Ross, Diane Keaton, William Shatner, Barbara Walters, Hugh
Jackman, Ricki Lake, Kate Winslet, George Lucas, Blythe Danner, Joan Rivers,
John McEnroe, Queen Latifah, Martin Sheen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall,
Billy Crystal, Sting, Madonna, Guy Ritchie, Angela Lansbury and Elaine Stritch.
·
The New York production of War Horse opened on 14 April 2011 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center.
·
Having
seen the show at the National Theatre, Steven Spielberg turned War Horse into a
film starring Jeremy
Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Emily Watson. The film
premiered in January 2012.
·
A further production opened
in February 2012 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, with a US tour
scheduled to start in Los Angeles in June 2012.
·
War Horse is
due to open in Melbourne at the end of 2012 at the Arts Centre’s State Theatre.
·
The
puppets in War Horse were created by
Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones of South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, based in Cape Town. They are made of cane and stretched georgette and are operated by
puppeteers.
·
War Horse has 18 puppets, including horses Joey and Topthorn, as well as a
goose, two swallows and two crows.
·
War Horse runs for
approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes including one interval
·
Suitable for 10 years
plus.
UK Awards War Horse has won
·
2007 Evening Standard
Award for Set Design - Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company
·
2007 Critics’ Circle
Award for Set Design - Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company
·
2007 Laurence Olivier
Awards for Set Design - Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company
·
2007 Laurence Olivier
Awards for Best Theatre Choreographer - Toby Sedgwick
US
Awards War Horse has won
·
2011
Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play
·
2011
Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Play – Marianne
Elliott and Tom Morris
·
2011
Outer Critics’ Circle Award Outstanding Lighting Design – Paule Constable
·
2011
Outer Critics’ Circle Special Achievement Award – Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler
·
2011
Drama Desk Special Award for Thrilling Stagecraft
·
2011 World Theatre Award
- Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence -Seth Numrich
·
2011
Broadway.com Audience Awards Favourite Play
·
2011
Drama League Awards - Distinguished Production of a Play
·
2011
Special Tony Award - Handspring Puppet Company
·
2011
Tony Award – Best Play
·
2011
Tony Award for Best Director of a Play - Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris
·
2011
Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Play – Rae Smith
·
2011
Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play – Paule Constable
·
2011
Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play – Christopher Shutt
Review will be posted on Dec 31 or Jan 1.
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