'War Horse' scoops Six Tonys

 


At an emotional ceremony in New York last night, Handspring Puppet Company's 'War Horse' won six Tony Awards for Best Play; Best direction of a play; Best lighting of a play; Best Sound design of a play; Best design of a play and a special Tony Award for Handspring Puppet Company.

According to Janni Younge of Handspring in Cape Town, South Africa, their acceptance speech went something like this:
"People ask why they have such an emotional response to this play about a horse made of cane and aluminum. After thousands of years of our dependence on the horse, the First World War ushered in the modern era and we lost forever the horse in our lives. It is that story that Tom Morris so fortuitously recognized in Micheal Morpurgo’s ‘Warhorse’ and its possibly that immeasurable sense of loss that makes this play about horses so emotional.

The people at Handspring who have made this award to us possible, are the team who build the horses in Cape Town led by Thys Stander and the incredible puppeteers here in New York, who, under the guidance of Mervyn Millar, perform this feat night after night.  We feel so lucky to have been part of such a fantastic creative team and that Nick Starr and the National Theatre put so much trust in what must have seemed a crazy idea at the time. Thank you Broadway League and American Theatre Wing for honouring puppetry with this special award." You can watch the BBC clip here. Here's the report from the BBC!
This is a major triumph for world puppetry and as part of that world and a friend of Handspring, I am extremely proud.

Handspring Horse on TED

When I first saw Handspring Puppet Company's production of 'War Horse' in London, which I wrote about here, I was blown away by the sheer genius of bring the horses to life on stage. Now finally, the masterminds behind 'War Horse, Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones have appeared at TED (see below), which is a must see for anyone even vaguely interested in the art of the puppet. The production will open at The Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York on the 14th of April, so make sure you get to see it!

Handspring's 'Or you could kiss me' opens in London tonight

Or You Could Kiss Me is the new production from the acclaimed, Laurence Olivier Award-winning Handspring Puppet Company is opening at the National Theatre in London today.

In the winter of 2036, in a shabby apartment in Port Elizabeth, two old men search for a way to say goodbye after a lifetime spent together. In the perfect summer of 1971, in a very different South Africa, their handsome younger selves search for the courage to fall in love. And poised halfway between these two stories - one imagined, one remembered - their real-life counterparts bear witness to both the beginning and ending of an incredible journey.

Or You Could Kiss Me is an intimate history of two very private lives, lived in extraordinary times. The production uses a bare stage, a handful of domestic props and the puppetry of Handspring Puppet Company, whose techniques were seen in the National Theatre and West End hit War Horse.

Neil Bartlett, writer and director of Or You Could Kiss Me, is the former artistic director of the Lyric Hammersmith. His work also includes a production of Romeo And Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
UPDATE: The show opened to rave reviews in London. You can now watch a few films of the rehearsal and workshopping process of Or You Could Kiss Me here!

Extraordinary War Horse last night

Joey, the main horse from War Horse leading the Royal Household Cavalry in a Royal Salute past the Queen at the Windsor Castle

Since arriving in London this week, the highlight of our visit has been attending a performance of War Horse at the New London Theatre last night. After two sold-out seasons at the National Theatre, War Horse moved to the New London Theatre and it continues to play to full houses every night. The National Theatre together with Handspring Puppet Company in South Africa produced the show in 2007 and the extraordinary horse puppets were designed and built by puppet-master, Adrian Kohler.

A few birds, a goose and a handful of horses make up the puppet cast, which are joined by a large human cast in the show. From the moment the goose waddles on to the stage, you can see the wonderful puppetry skills that Handspring have imparted. When Joey, the young foal, makes his first appearance, the three young puppeteers breathe in unison, which really breathes life into this young horse and the illusion is complete. The breath, sounds, together with ear and tail movement give the horses an extraordinary life that makes one believe that it's actually the horses manipulating the puppeteers and not the other way round. As strange as this might sound, it's very difficult to believe that they are puppets at all.

Set in the backdrop of World War 1, this powerful story is carried by great performances and manipulation, which together, produce the best piece of theatre I have seen for a very long time.
Steven Spielberg has apparently chosen War Horse to be his next film, which is due for production next year and this seems to be when the live production will open at the Lincoln Centre on Broadway.

“This level of puppetry hasn’t been seen on Broadway before, and this is what audiences are going to find riveting,” said Handspring's Basil Jones, last year, in an interview here.

You can watch the trailer here and the making of War Horse here and a Channel 4 report here!