'War Horse' Set To Take Stage In Chicago Later This Year
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Before Steven Spielberg turned it into an Oscar-nominated movie, "War Horse" was a play in London and on Broadway.
Now, WBBM Newsradio's Regine Schlesinger reports it's coming to a Chicago stage later this year.
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The poignant story centers on Joey, a horse ripped from his young owner to be sent into combat during World War I. On stage, Joey is a 120 pound puppet, hand-crafted of cane, aluminum and Tyvek.
Finn Caldwell, one of the puppetry directors, says the show is quite an undertaking.
"We do a full cavalry charge on stage," Caldwell said. "We have hundreds of horses running across the stage at the same time."
Caldwell says the play is a very different experience from the movie.
"No matter how magical a film is – and I've seen the film; I think it's absolutely wonderful, it should have won an Oscar – but there's no substitute for the magic of seeing something created in front of you and the exciting thing about our horses, is there's no tricks," Caldwell said. "You can see the puppeteers clearly working in front of you and yet, your mind will make them disappear and you will believe in the life and the magic of the horse."
"War Horse" will play for three weeks starting Dec. 18 of this year at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.
