Broadway News
Play vs. Film: War Horse
If you've been to the movies lately, it's likely you've seen a trailer for the upcoming film War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the same Michael Morpurgo novel as the Tony-winning Broadway play. Set during World War I, War Horse is about the undying bond between an English boy and his beloved horse Joey, even after Joey is sold to the cavalry and shipped off to France. In the years following their separation, Joey is forced to serve the soldiers fighting on the front lines and ends up being the sole survivor of a deadly battle. The boy, however, never forgets his horse and embarks on a dangerous quest to find him again.
Despite its sweeping, emotional plot, arguably the most stunning aspect of the play-with-music (currently running at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at New York's Lincoln Square) is its remarkable puppetry, designed by the South Africa-based Handspring Puppet Company. The horse comes to life on stage as skilled puppeteers and actors enable him to breathe, charge, gallop, and even carry riders.
Morpurgo's novel came out nearly thirty years ago—but only now, after the play's worldwide success (in addition to its ongoing Broadway run, it's still running in London's West End, and an American national tour and a Toronto production are slated to begin performances in 2012), did Spielberg decide to film a cinematic version of War Horse.
Though the film version is sure to have certain advantages over the stage production, such as the luxury of filming on location in the actual English countryside, fans of the play are sure to be somewhat skeptical about the film, as Spielberg has replaced Handspring's spectacular puppetry with real live horses. The magic of War Horse on stage is that it enables audiences to experience a truly unique theatrical event. Night after night, audiences leave the Vivian Beaumont Theater in awe, astounded at what they have just witnessed. But we've all seen real horses before, both in films and in real life. Will Spielberg's live-action film adaptation lose that magical luster? Looks like we'll have to wait for the theatrical release on Christmas Day to find out.
War Horse film poster courtesy of Touchstone Pictures.
Broadway production photo credit: Paul Kolnik.
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