London Hit War Horse Eyes New York Transfer

The London hit War Horse, which features seven-foot-tall horse puppets manipulated by three human performers, is eyeing at 2011 New York transfer, according to The New York Times. Because of the scale of the production, a large Broadway theater or an unconventional venue such as the Park Avenue Armory would be required, said producer Bob Boyett. The Times feature on the show also cited the huge stage of Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre, currently the home of South Pacific, as an ideal home for War Horse.

Adapted by Nick Stafford from a novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse centers on the sale of Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, to the cavalry at the outbreak of World War I. Shipped to France, he’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

The puppets in War Horse were designed by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa. Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse opened at the National Theater in 2007 and transferred to the West End’s New London Theatre in the spring.