WAR HORSE Debuts in Hong Kong; Show Runs Now Thru June 2

Hong Kong--War Horse, the unforgettable theatrical event from The National Theatre of Great Britain, producers of the smash-hit production of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," made its debut at the Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, with a star-studded gala premiere held Saturday, May 11. The gala night audience included invited VIPs, show sponsors, and a host of local celebrities such as Cecil Chao, Gigi Chao, Stephen Chan, Ankie Beilke, Vincci Cheuk, Sabrina Leung, Bianca Wu, Cheung Tat-Ming, Geoff Wong, Cecilia Yip, Rita Carpio, and Tony Cruz.

Presenter and CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions James Cundall said, "When War Horse first arrived on the London stage, it became the talk of the worldwide theatre scene overnight. It is one of those rare plays that EVERYONE talks about, with the directive 'you HAVE to see it'! The puppetry is ground-breaking and reminds me why I work in the theatre business. It is finally Hong Kong's turn to experience this astonishing, unforgettable piece of theatre...Prepare to be moved."

Nick Stafford's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, War Horse, tells the story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping horses to life on stage.

The winner of more than 25 international awards, including the Tony Award® for Best Play on Broadway, War Horse received its world premiere on October 9, 2007, at the National Theatre where it played for two seasons before opening at the New London Theatre in March 2009. Since then, War Horse has been seen by eight million people worldwide in 98 cities in 11 countries, including productions on Broadway, in Toronto and Berlin, with touring productions in the UK and Ireland, North America, the Netherlands, Belgium, and China.

War Horse is directed by Marianne Elliott, director of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," and Tom Morris. It is designed by Rae Smith, with puppet direction, design, and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company. Lighting is by Paule Constable, movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for 59 Productions. The song maker is John Tams, with music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.

Katie Henry is the UK & International Tour Director and Charlotte Peters is the Associate Director. Craig Leo and Matthew Forbes are the Associate Puppetry Directors. They are joined by Resident Director, Charlie Kenber and Resident Puppetry Director, Gareth Aled.

War Horse is presented in Hong Kong by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and The National Theatre of Great Britain.

Get tickets at HKTicketing.com.

Photos: ProPublicity, Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

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