Warhorsing

12-10-2008

Wednesdays I normally start my morning a bit later, as I don’t have to be into work till about 12-12:30. This week was a bit different since I had to queue around 8:45am at the National Theatre in order to get tickets to see Warhorse.

I had some lovely company though with Kat. You may remember her from the ISH karaoke and construction building freeze tag. She met me at ISH reception this morning at 8:00am with two coffees in hand. We hoped on a 435, got off at Trafalgar, and walked over the Thames to the National Theatre only to find a queue had already formed with still 45minutes till the box office opened.

The wait was worth it though. We got our tickets. I couldn’t be more pleased since that show was probably the best I’ve seen in London.

 

It’s about the 1914-18 war, except from the perspective of a horse named Joey. It begins with Joey as a foal and how he is bought by a drunken farmer, raised, and subsequently loved, by the farmer’s son.  As the war breaks out, Joey is sold to the army. His strength and good upbringing save his life though, as he is put to use as a general’s escort as opposed to infantry. The farmer’s son eventually misses Joey too much and joins the army in order to search for him. From there it turns into Saving Private Ryan, but with a horse. The show is incredibly moving and extremely unique. Mostly because of the puppets.

Joey is actually a life-sized wooden framed horse that three men operate throughout the show, one on each set of legs and another controlling the head. Their incredible skill in moving that horse makes the audience forget there are even puppeteers. The lifelike way in which they move that puppet is astounding.  Especially when there are two of these life-size horses on stage at once. 

The sets were minimal and interactive with the movements of the cast. There was a torn page from a book flown in at the stage top, which projected scenery and video in sketches, very tasteful and artistic.

And the music. Awesome. Mostly chorus and the small instrumental parts were carried out on stage. There was a narrator / inner monologue of Joey who was in every seen, in the same costume, but yet fitting the scene well as he sang the story in an English folk song style. All around, a brilliant show.

To rewind to earlier in the day, I got my hair cut before work today by a nice Brazilian man who spoke no English. I decided I did not have the patience for dreads as I know that in order to have them look the way I’d like it’d take 3 years…. just not patience enough. And while the Brazilian guy was very meticulous, I still hate the way it looks.