Go on an epic ride with ‘The Horse And His Boy’

A scene from "The Horse and His Boy." Photos: Tumpets

I've always been a fan of "The Chronicles of Narnia." When I got the books, I was hooked. Every orange cat I saw was Aslan. Every door led to another world. Every lamppost I imagined lighting up a wintry forest.

"The Chronicles of Narnia" were written by C.S. Lewis in the 1950s. Many people first visited Narnia through "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." Who wouldn't be captivated by the idea of a strange land where it was always winter, a land you could reach through the back of a closet? What were fauns and dryads and naiads? How can an evil witch be vanquished by four children? It was impossible not to be enchanted by the story.

"The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" onstage

It was in 1997 when local theater company TRUMPETS staged an original musical production of "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." It was written by Luna Griño-Inocian and Jaime Del Mundo, with music by Lito Villareal. The show was restaged multiple times throughout the years, and even brought to Guam and Singapore.

Of course I trooped to the theater with my family to watch, and I was sobbing with joy throughout the entire upbeat opening number. We bought the CD, and for years afterwards, the music would bring us back to that eternal winter and the lion who brought magic back to the land. It was such a great tribute to the book that Douglas Gresham, Lewis’ stepson, encouraged Griño-Inocian to adapt more Narnia books for the stage.

Opening night

It was in 2009 when TRUMPETS decided to adapt "The Horse and His Boy," the fifth book, for the stage. Griño-Inocian was the natural choice to write it, and it was Del Mundo who suggested they do a straight play this time.

The show opened at Meralco Theater on November 6, with many former cast members and production staff in attendance. A special treat for fans was the appearance of Gresham himself, who was celebrating his seventieth birthday in Manila. Devotees of TRUMPETS’ "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" were delighted to see the costumes from the nearly twenty-year-old production, with the memorable music playing in the background. It was as if theatergoers were already in Narnia, from the moment they walked through the doors.

How the horse met his boy

But the story of "The Horse and His Boy" doesn’t even happen in Narnia. It begins in Calormen, a land to the south of Narnia. The boy Shasta meets a talking horse named Bree, and together they decide to run away from their cruel lives. Along the way, they are joined by Aravis, a young noblewoman, and her talking horse, Hwin.

Their adventure takes unexpected turns as their journey takes them not only far away from the land they knew, but into completely different lives.

With talking animals, battle scenes and a vast city in the story, the challenge of staging this as a play is enormous. How could you bring the horses to life? How would Bree teach Shasta, who grew up by the sea, to ride? What would the battle look like? For all these challenges and more, TRUMPETS had an answer.

The boy, the girl, and the horses

(Standing, from left) Joel Trinidad and Jill Peña with (seated, from left) Reb Atadero and Cara Barredo.

To start with, the show had an amazing cast. Reb Atadero’s Shasta went from naïve and fearful to brave and kind. Perfectly paired with him was Cara Barredo as Aravis, the arrogant and selfish noblewoman who became a true friend.

But "The Horse and His Boy" could not have been a success without the actors who brought Bree and Hwin to life. Joel Trinidad played the foolish but well-meaning Bree, while Jill Peña was the kind and cheerful Hwin. Both actors had to neigh and whinny like talkative Narnian horses, while at the same time carrying their props: a horse’s head and body, like puppets attached to a body harness. Trinidad and Peña had to move the horses’ mouths and heads as they talked, and stomped their feet as horses do. When Bree was indignant, his head rose high and his mane shook. When the horses were shorn of their beautiful manes, Bree hung his head in shame. When Hwin spoke, every movement of her head was filled with joy.

It was a delight for audiences when Aravis and Shasta had to ride the horses. While Trinidad and Peña operated the horses’ heads, other actors wore the horses’ rear ends and their feet were the hind legs. When the children rode, each horse acquired a third actor, upon whose shoulders the child would sit. And when the horses ran, you could almost see the wind through their hair and the children nearly falling with every leap. Dexter Santos collaborated with director Del Mundo for movement and choreography, and his work here made the ride truly epic.

Friends and foes

Helping the show along was an equally talented supporting cast. In Tashbaan, the escape is jeopardized when Aravis is recognized by her friend Lasaraleen. Arya Herrera’s hysterical, whimsical, giggly Tarkheena brought welcome notes of levity, as indicated by the audience’s laughter.

Battle scenes in fantasy books are often only relayed in a few paragraphs, when describing the aftermath. It’s always interesting to see how the scene translates into a film or a stage play. Here "The Horse and His Boy" did not disappoint. The magnificent battle scene was made exciting by Santos’ choreography and original music by Jon Meer Vera Perez, first with fight choreography between the Calormen and the Archenland armies, then with shadow play!

Whether or not you’ve read the book, "The Horse and His Boy" is full of charm, heart and wonder, just like the Chronicles of Narnia. If you haven’t yet visited that magical land, this play is a wonderful introduction. But if you’re stepped through the wardrobe doors before, this epic ride will definitely take you back to your childhood. — BM, GMA News

"The Horse and His Boy" runs until November 22 at the Meralco Theater. Tickets are available at TicketWorld.