Start of a model friendship
Hamilton’s resident war horse Gunner — the 300kg bronze statue in Memorial Park — had a VIP equine visitor on Sunday in the form of Joey — the 64kg life-sized puppet and the star of The National Theatre of Great Britain’s stage production of War Horse.
The meeting of two inanimate beings, both created in tribute to the thousands of horses that were sent to the World War I battlegrounds of Europe, may sound like a surreal scenario to play out by the Waikato River on a sunny afternoon.
But the moment Joey walked into the park with an authentic gait and a convincing snort and toss of the head it was clear why the show is described by critics worldwide as an astonishing piece of theatre.
The life-sized puppets, created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, bring breathing, charging horses to life on the stage.
The Tony Award-winning production of War Horse is coming to Auckland’s Civic in June and Joey’s visit to Hamilton and to Gunner was to launch a promotional visit for the New Zealand season of the show’s international tour.
Gunner, the statue of a Waikato Mounted Rifles horse, was unveiled at Memorial Park on Armistice Day 2017. The creation of former New Zealand Defence Force artist Matt Gauldie, it honours the 8000 New Zealand horses sent to the South African War and 10,000 sent to World
War I. Of all these horses only four came back from the Western Front and one from South Africa. The last, named Bess, died and was buried in Bulls in 1934.
Since its 2007 debut in London, War Horse has been seen by more than eight million people in 11 countries. It has won more than 25 international awards, including a Tony Award for Best Play on New York’s Broadway.