If you're a New Yorker, you probably have an opinion (or at least some misgivings) about the carriage horses in Central Park. Horse Play the Musical, by Mitch Kess and Ariel Fintzi—the latter a carriage-horse driver himself—aims to debunk misinformation about the trade. But despite good intentions, the musical has a hard time articulating both sides of the debate. There are snatches of opinion and possible solutions amid the show’s dizzy, two-dimensional love story between animal-rights activist Gea and driver Daniel; the excellent actors who play Daniel’s horses have the most interesting thoughts to offer, and their raw voices and distinctive personalities steal the show. But the score, although sometimes rousing, is saddled with empty and repetitive lyrics, and the book doesn’t go deep enough to make you leave feeling substantially better-informed than when you came in. Horse Play ends before Gea can get her political views on the subject straight. Who could blame her?—Madeline Raynor
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