The League’s Dedham shelter received a special visit today from Joey, the star of the five-time Tony Award winning play “War Horse” opening at the Boston Opera House tomorrow. War Horse has been packing houses from London to New York, and we were grateful that Joey took the time to visit and bond with Celeste, a miniature horse rescued by the League in March.
War Horse personifies the power and beauty of the human-animal bond. Albert goes to war in the hope of finding his beloved horse Joey after he was sold to the cavalry and shipped from England to France in 1914. Albert risks his life in order to be reunited with Joey. We thought it was especially fitting for Joey to meet Celeste since both endured a long journey to their forever homes.
Joey is a remarkably life-like 8-foot tall horse puppet that comes to life courtesy of 3 puppeteers: Jessica Krueger, Danny Yoerges and Brian Robert Burns. Jessica, Dannny, Brian and Andrew Veenstra (who plays Albert Narracott) answered questions from the 4th grade class of Dedham Country Day School, and the students were thrilled to be able to interact with Joey. They also enjoyed the having a chance to pet the sweet and friendly Celeste, who also loved the attention.
In honor of Joey’s visit, October 9th has been officially named “Joey Day” at the League. We would like to thank Ann Sheehan and Natalie Tomaselli of Broadway in Boston and the cast of War Horse for a wonderful visit!
