War Horse

Last night we saw War Horse at the New London Theater! So So So So SO So So Sooooo good. So good. what more is there to say. it was like..... the movie Shenandoah meets Lion King on broadway (meaning the puppets)... meets.... Lassy? Ok.. weird. Yes. Bad description. Yes. But it was excellent when it all came together. It was set during world war I in England. It was the story of a boy and his horse and the love they had for each other even when they were forced apart from each other by the war. This sounds cheesy, but I promise. It was beautiful. Gorgeous. The lighting was simple, as was the set and blocking, but this helped us to focus on the story and acting and of course the puppet horses. These horses were OUT OF CONTROL AMAZING! the study that must have gone in to understanding exactly the way horses move and react and live must have been so incredibly extensive.... we usually forgot that the horses were not real. Each horse was controlled by three actors dressed as normal people and yet we still forgot. The horses were brilliant. The show was very "Brecht" style. This is hard to explain... there are hundreds of books on him I'm sure... but basically.... at the end of every scene a man came on singing a different old folk song that may or may not have fit in with the story but was gorgeous. The screen above the stage would tell us the date and place of every scene.... Sometimes the characters knew the audience was there and sometimes they didn't. It was different and it was stunning. If you ever get the chance to go.... GO. it was beautiful.

Here are some notes that I took during the show. Hope you like 'em!

*"Only remembered for what we have done."

*"We'll destroy those germans and be back before tea." (Isn't it funny how everyone seems to think this before every war....?)

*"Don't show any fear or pity. This is normal from now on."

*"Do you know about death? Do horses know about death?"

*"Can I tell you a secret? I'm fighting. I don't know what I'm doing. I spent my whole life preparing for war and now I just want to see my daughter and go home."

*"I think I would rather kill myself than go back to the fighting."

*"Once you are dead, there is no more war. This is good, no?"