Grayson DeJesus on
4E112
' !g Topthorn and Michael
E . Wyatt Cox on Joey in
-
War Horse
Touring production of the Tony Award-winning play comes to the
Fisher Theatre, starring a Jewish equine fan in the lead role.
I
Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer
M
ichael Wyatt Cox grew up on
a small farm in Florida, where
he felt comfortable with horses
cared for by his veterinarian dad, David
Cox.
The younger Cox, 26, who rode horses
a bit as a youngster and sporadically after
that, feels early experiences with animals
prepared him for the lifelike breed of hors-
es he encounters as the star of War Horse.
Cox, taking on the lead role of Albert
Narracott in the touring production, works
with actual-size horse puppets in the play
centered around Joey, a horse raised with
Albert, enlisted to fight for the English in
World War I and searched out by the sepa-
rated owner in a saga of courage, loyalty
and friendship.
War Horse will be performed Dec.
17-Jan. 5 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.
"This is a one-of-a-kind show:' says Cox
in a phone interview from the road. "It's a
beautiful story, and the puppetry is amaz-
ing.
"The role is one I'll always remember,
and it's very close to me. The character
grew up in a way similar to the way I grew
up, and getting to portray a connection to
animals is hugely important to me.
"I did a lot more riding when I found
out I was cast in this role to get experience
with the sense of it. I love horses and wish
I could have one. I've found them the cool-
est of animals because they're emotionally
open and feed off the energy of their rid-
ers:"
War Horse, a Broadway winner of five
2011 Tony Awards, including Best Play,
and filled with music and songs, is based
on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 children's
novel of the same name. Originally pro-
duced for the stage in 2007 by Britain's
National Theatre, it also was inspiration
for Steven Spielberg's 2011 feature film,
which earned six Oscar nominations.
The script, adapted by Nick Stafford,
is staged by director Bijan Sheibani. The
puppetry is the work of Handspring
Puppet Company of South Africa.
In the story, Joey, caught in enemy
crossfire, ends up serving on both sides of
the war. Albert, not old enough to enlist,
faces treachery in his mission to bring his
horse home.
"The book mostly presents the per-
spective of Joey and his journey:' Cox
explains. "The movie expands on the other
characters around Joey as does the play.
Spielberg saw the play and then developed
the movie'
This is Cox's second year with War
Horse, his second role in the production
and his second visit to Michigan with the
company. He previously played the part of
Billy, cousin of the main character and the
town bully, last year when the musical was
staged in East Lansing.
"The roles are extremely different,
which is why it's such fun to pick up this
year with something new:' Cox says. "The
character Billy pines after the horse and
really wants him:'
Cox knew he wanted to be an actor
when he was in eighth grade, and his
mother encouraged him to audition for a
role in Once Upon a Mattress for a Jewish
community center production in Florida.
"I think she really wanted to get me out
of the house jokes Cox, whose brother,
Joshua, is in his second year of medical
studies at the University of Buffalo.
"After that, I auditioned for an arts
high school in my area and was accepted.
I went through four years of high school
doing theater the entire time.
"Getting to portray a
connection to animals is
hugely important to me."
- Michael Wyatt Cox
"I studied acting at the University of
Central Florida and became an apprentice
with Actors Theatre of Louisville, which
chooses candidates to develop and push
toward specific career paths:'
Now based in New York, Cox can look
back on roles in Heist! for the Humana
Festival, This Is Our Youth for Atlantic Arts
and Waiting for Lefty for the 45th Street
Theater.
"For Once Upon a Mattress, I played a
mute character so I didn't sing at Cox
says. "Singing is definitely not my thing
and wasn't back then.
"I've played a couple of Jewish charac-
ters in college, but I haven't done much
theater with Jewish themes. I've played a
variety of characters, and a couple of them
happen to be Jewish:"
Raised with a strong background in
religion that included regular temple
attendance, Cox had a bar mitzvah and a
confirmation. He and girlfriend Brittany
Parker, also in theater, have made seders
at their home, which they share with cat
Daisy.
"When I was growing up, we had a
whole stable of animals — five dogs at a
time, a bunch of cats, birds, horses and
even a squirrel at one point:' recalls Cox,
whose mom, Mindy, has been training
dogs since she and her husband recently
retired from administering their own ani-
mal hospital.
Cox, working with the imitation horses
onstage, explains that the puppeteers went
through a rigorous two-week process
before the actors joined the company.
Then, there were six weeks of actor-puppet
rehearsals.
"We learned how to interact with the
puppets, and it's basically like interacting
with any real horse he says. "There are
certain ways to make it more realistic.
"The puppets become scene partners
who seem to be breathing and listening
and totally alive
Young members of the audience will get
hands-on experience related to the play
by attending War Horse Kids' Night with
preshow activities beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 19, in the Fisher Theatre
lobby.
Broadway in Detroit and Michigan
Education Savings Plan (MESP) will pres-
ent an event offering crafts courtesy of
Arts & Scraps, encouraging interaction
with cast members and providing samples
of free ice cream from Ferndale's Treat
Dreams while supplies last.
"The chance to see the country and
other parts of the world with this tour is
amazing for me says Cox, an avid reader
now enjoying Stephen King's Different
Seasons, a short story collection.
"A play like ours — based around farm
folks and soldiers and the lives of so many
people — is exciting to take to places
where those people are living.
"Giving people a chance to see a produc-
tion they normally wouldn't see is really spe-
cial to us. It makes the play better and better
because of the audiences that come:'
❑
War Horse will be performed Dec.17-Jan. 5 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.
Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, except for Dec. 31, when the
curtain goes up at 6:30 p.m.; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Sundays. There will be Thursday matinees at 1 p.m. Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Kids'
Night (Thursday, Dec.19) has activities beginning at 5:30 p.m. There are no
performances on Dec. 24, 25 and 30 and Jan. 1. Ticket prices start at $30.
On Kids' Night, those 18 and younger are admitted free with the purchase
of an adult ticket at full price on select seat locations. (313) 872-1000; www.
broadwayindetroit.com .
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December 12 • 2013
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