21 Jun 2019

Puppets bring horses alive in War Horse

From First Up, 5:50 am on 21 June 2019

After a 12 year wait, New Zealanders finally have a chance to see the multi-awarding winning play War Horse - without travelling overseas.

Adapted from Michael Morpurgo's book of the same name, it tells the story of a horse named Joey, his young owner Alfred and their journey from Devon to the battlefields of the World War One.

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Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Three puppeteers play Joey - a rideable puppet made from cane and fabric, with moving ears and tail, that help show the emotion of the animal.

Over the course of the two-hour play, audiences have said they can easily suspend your disbelief and come to feel the horse is real.

Ahead of opening night, First Up producer Lydia Batham and videographer Claire Eastham-Farrelly headed down to Auckland's Civic Theatre for a sneak peek: