DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The first lady of Dallas and some Dallas police officers got into the act at last night’s performance of “War Horse” at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

The central character of “War Horse” is a horse named Joey, who is represented by a life-sized puppet controlled by three people. The movements are so convincing that it’s easy to forget you are not seeing a live horse. “When you are watching the show, they become real,” said Chirs Heinbaugh, director of external affairs for the AT&T Performing Arts Center. “That is one of the reasons why this show just grabs at your heart.”

To test how life-like he is, Joey was introduced to some real, live horses outside the Winspear Opera House by Micki Rawlings, wife of Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.

The meeting was a success. “The real horses came up to Joey. They were sniffing Joey. They were rubbing up against Joey. They weren’t quite sure what it was, but it looked familiar,” said Heinbaugh.

Dallas is the third city to host the national tour of the 2011 Tony Award winning show. The stage play of “War Horse” is based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel, which was also the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s feature film of the same name.

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