The other evening I had the pleasure of attending the opening of War Horse at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
I was very excited as I know that the Tony®- award winning production was coming for a run here in Orange County.
Opening night event started with a special interactive exhibit in the hall with puppets and World War I artifacts and uniforms. Here I am with a group of blog friends with one of the puppets.
Once we sat down in the theater, we were taken back into history, Pre-WWI England, to be exact.
War Horse is a touching story about Albert, a young man and his horse, Joey. Albert and Joey have a wonderful relationship as Albert raises him from a young colt to a beautiful horse. The young man is forced to sell his beloved horse at an auction and his heartbroken.
The war continues to take lives and destroy land. As time passes, Albert is determined to find his Joey and enlists in the army to undertake a search like no other.
Albert and Joey. Andrew Veenstra (Albert) with John Riddleberger, Patrick Osteen, Jessica Krueger (Joey) © Brinkhoff and Mögenburg 2011
The scenes with Joey are incredible. The artistry of the puppeteers will have you believing that you are watching an actual horse and Joey comes to life as you watch what he endures.
The war scenes are very real and the story took me through many emotions including joy, laughter and tears.
Joey. Christopher Mai, Derek Stratton, Rob Laqui © Brinkhoff and Mögenburg
I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Due to the graphic nature of the war scenes, this play is not recommended for children under 12. War Horse is currently playing at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa from January 22 – February 3, 2012. Be sure to check out the interactive with WWI artifacts and puppet displays if you go.
Disclosure: I was provided a ticket as a guest of a media member. Production images are copyrighted and used with permission.
Do you enjoy going to plays? What is the last play you saw?
Beth J says
Love the OC performing Arts Center or I guess Segerstrom center now. Your post made me a little homesick for Costa Mesa. Used to work at the center, miss being able to go to the shows
Thanks for the memories! 😉
Organizedisland says
Oh, I hope you can come back soon. The OCPAC is a beautiful place to see a show!
Cafe Pasadena says
I’m just stopping by to see what’s new!
And the horse theme in your War Horse sounds like something some of my horse friends might like.
Organizedisland says
Thank you for stopping by, it is a great show!
Jamie says
It was such a fun night =) And watching those puppets come alive was like no other theater experience I’d been through. A great night out amongst friends.
Organizedisland says
That WAS a fun night and it was so great seeing you – as always!