I could fill a review with just a list positive adjectives to describe The National Theatre’s production of War Horse but even that wouldn’t do it justice.
Here’s just a few, stunning, incredible, moving… I could go on. I’d seen the film, so knew the story but avoided all the ‘how it works’ features about the theatre show. I wanted to experience the raw emotion. I saw Sooty live as a kid and had the misfortune to be sitting on the balcony and could see the hands up his…well, you can imagine the rest. If being robbed of my childhood isn’t enough, I’ve also seen a production of the Railway Children that had no train! So, what I’m trying to say is, it can be done so wrong. Luckily War Horse has got it absolutely right. Yes, the manipulators’ ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, is wearing the same colour as their horse but they’re also dressed in character. When the horse first appears you’re conscious of them for about a second, after that, they blend into the unforgettable theatre experience that is War Horse and which holds the audience captivated.
If anything they add to this incredible production. The responsibility of these performers to get it so right is huge but every move made by the ‘horse’ is believable and realistic. The fact that they can essentially make an adult fall in love with a puppet is incredible. 15 stone, eight foot and made from wood and metal, even when not a central part of a scene, they are moving, breathing and responding to the environment around them. You can even sense their fear and pain.
Set against a backdrop of the First World War, the play is an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel. Adapted by Nick Stafford it tells the remarkable story of teenager Albert Narracott (Thomas Dennis, fresh from playing Christopher Boone in the National Theatre’s West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. ) whose beloved horse Joey is conscripted to serve on the bloody Battlefields of France in 1914. At 16 Albert is too young to enlist in his search for his loyal companion, but as the war drags on he takes drastic action to find to find his friend. The scenery is simple, a door, a backdrop of a torn strip of paper with projected sketchy scenery mimicking the scrap of paper Albert carries upon which is a drawing of his beloved horse. So powerful is the story, it needs nothing more.
I’ve never seen anything as extraordinary and probably won’t again. Despite being set in the past its fresh. It is unsurprising then that it has won 25 awards including the Tony Award for best play on Broadway, making it the most successful play in the National Theatres history. The huge cast is enthralling. Although the majestic horses take centre stage they take what is essentially a dark story captivating.
More than 8 million horses died in the Great War – almost as many as the 10 million humans. ‘War Horse’ serves as a reminder of the horrors of war
An epic tale of loyalty and how love can endure even in the worst circumstances. Make sure you join the legion of admirers powerfully moved by this unique production. It will break your heart but leave you euphoric at the same time.
You really have to see it to believe it.
By Tanya Louise
Editor
@tanyalouise_
