He looks as if he emerged from the laboratory of a veterinary Dr. Frankenstein. With haunches that appear to have been stripped from the guts of an amusement park ride, and a thatched torso resembling an unfinished beer barrel, Joey the War Horse doesn’t strike one immediately as astoundingly equine.
And then suddenly, he does. The legs, the head, the tail cease seeming to be a collection of spare parts. Working in magical concert, they complete, assuredly and uncannily, the bearing of a majestic animal, one you come to believe is capable of expressing the emotion that many in an audience attending “War Horse,” in fact, might also feel for him: something akin to love.
Video
The five-time Tony Award-winning production of “War Horse” takes the stage of The Kennedy Center Oct. 23-Nov. 11.
How is this possible? How does Joey cross the invisible barrier from dormant swatches and screws, to vibrant flesh and blood? At its most persuasive, puppetry can be the next best thing to living, and as practiced by the teams of puppeteers responsible for the creation and movement of the steeds of “War Horse,” it is indeed a transformative art. In our graphic, read about how the masters at work on “War Horse,” in performance starting Tuesday at the Kennedy Center, corral imagination.
Performers from Step Afrika! in composer Randall Fleischer’s “Ke Nako” from Symphony in Step. Accompained by a 15-piece chamber orchestra, Step Afrika! blends classical music and stepping in this program.
This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.
Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.
To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.
Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.
.jpg)
.JPG)
Loading...
Comments