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dalesql Today I went to the matinee of WARHORSE, which is playing at the Boston Opera House this week and next week. An online friend of mine is the automation carpenter for the tour, which was the main reason I went to see it. and to get a chance to chat with him again and get the quickie backstage tour with him. I was expecting to be wowed by the horse puppet. Which I certianly was. I was not expecting there to be several other horse puppets all of them equally amazing.
Nor was I expecting their to be a tank. that was rather a shock. the acting was impeccable, as I would expect, but is still lovely to see a play well performed by top tier talent. Nor was I expecting songs, but they fit the flow of the show very well. The goose played comic relief quite well, and even though the puppeteers were all in plain view, I was easily able to ignore them as they performed the puppets supurbly.
If you have the chance to see this show when it comes around to your neck of the world, it is well worth it. Tthere is usually some cheap seats up in the balcony or way off to the side, so don't let the large prices scare you off. http://warhorseonstage.com/
The costumes are, as far as I was able to see, exceptionally period correct. They said that they all were sourced in the UK, some of them from the same factories and patterns that made them for the first world war. My gun fan friends would not have been happy to see the way the rifles were stored backstage, in big plastic trash barrels. Probably all are period firearms that have been made non-firable or converted to blank firing only. I didn't inquire, as Dave had to make a hardware store run so was short on time. After various accidents with firearms in various stage and movie productions over the years, nobody with any expereince and common sense wants functional firearms in a stage production.
There is rather a lot of stuff flown up in the air to make room backstage. The tank, the cannon, the horse puppets and so on. Production design was with almost no scenery. Only scenery really is a door and door frame that comes out as needed. Everything else is done with props and the puppets. Very minimalistic. The lighting is stark in the battle scenes, but fits and sets the mood. More traditional lighting for the rest. Spotlight use was very subtle, I only noticed it a couple of times. Well done. I was a bit surprised that they were able to use the pryo. Boston Fire Department is notoriously strict about open flame on stage. Another well done to the tour management and the advance team for making that happen. They used a false floor on the stage to duct in smoke and haze as needed for certian scenes. the floor also serves as a sounding board to amplfy the horse's hoofs clopping on stage.
Sound was delightful. I hardly noticed it, except when I reminded myself to listen to the sound effects. This is exactly what the sound for a stage show should be. Actors were clearly audible, music and sound effects were appropriate for the scenes, and didn't shove themselves into my forebrain shouting I AM A SOUND EFFECT, HEAR ME ROAR!. . . ahem. sorry. Bit of a hobby horse of mine there.
The Boston Opera house was restored a couple years ago, and is again a marvelous space. But, like nearly all theaters, the bathrooms are still down in a lower lobby that is awkward to get to.
Nor was I expecting their to be a tank. that was rather a shock. the acting was impeccable, as I would expect, but is still lovely to see a play well performed by top tier talent. Nor was I expecting songs, but they fit the flow of the show very well. The goose played comic relief quite well, and even though the puppeteers were all in plain view, I was easily able to ignore them as they performed the puppets supurbly.
If you have the chance to see this show when it comes around to your neck of the world, it is well worth it. Tthere is usually some cheap seats up in the balcony or way off to the side, so don't let the large prices scare you off. http://warhorseonstage.com/
The costumes are, as far as I was able to see, exceptionally period correct. They said that they all were sourced in the UK, some of them from the same factories and patterns that made them for the first world war. My gun fan friends would not have been happy to see the way the rifles were stored backstage, in big plastic trash barrels. Probably all are period firearms that have been made non-firable or converted to blank firing only. I didn't inquire, as Dave had to make a hardware store run so was short on time. After various accidents with firearms in various stage and movie productions over the years, nobody with any expereince and common sense wants functional firearms in a stage production.
There is rather a lot of stuff flown up in the air to make room backstage. The tank, the cannon, the horse puppets and so on. Production design was with almost no scenery. Only scenery really is a door and door frame that comes out as needed. Everything else is done with props and the puppets. Very minimalistic. The lighting is stark in the battle scenes, but fits and sets the mood. More traditional lighting for the rest. Spotlight use was very subtle, I only noticed it a couple of times. Well done. I was a bit surprised that they were able to use the pryo. Boston Fire Department is notoriously strict about open flame on stage. Another well done to the tour management and the advance team for making that happen. They used a false floor on the stage to duct in smoke and haze as needed for certian scenes. the floor also serves as a sounding board to amplfy the horse's hoofs clopping on stage.
Sound was delightful. I hardly noticed it, except when I reminded myself to listen to the sound effects. This is exactly what the sound for a stage show should be. Actors were clearly audible, music and sound effects were appropriate for the scenes, and didn't shove themselves into my forebrain shouting I AM A SOUND EFFECT, HEAR ME ROAR!. . . ahem. sorry. Bit of a hobby horse of mine there.
The Boston Opera house was restored a couple years ago, and is again a marvelous space. But, like nearly all theaters, the bathrooms are still down in a lower lobby that is awkward to get to.
