A stunning, emotional piece of theatre
War Horse, Wales Millennium Centre ★★★★★
AFTER 10 years onstage National Theatre’s War Horse is still getting standing ovations.
The story is about a young boy and his horse named Joey and as implied by the title, Joey becomes the titular War Horse when a broken promise leads to the animal being sold to the cavalry at the outbreak of World War I. Joey endures harrowing exploits and the young boy lies about his age to join up and follow the war to France in the hope of reconnecting with his equine pal on the battlefields.
This is my second time seeing the show and I noticed the puppeteers much more this time. While the magic is still there and horses are brought to life onstage, I found myself really noticing how hard the puppeteers have to work every night. Joey the horse is still the star of the show and I defy anyone not to think “aww” when Joey first appears as a foal. The puppeteers have studied horses and this preparation definitely shows. You know they’ve done their job when the audience forgets that they’re there. From a cute foal to the fully grown Joey, it is so easy to believe in the theatre magic and several puppeteers become one character, one that breathes and feels.
Even though it’s a show with puppets from a children’s novel, the play does not shy away from the atrocity of war. Paule Constable and Adrian Sutton’s lighting design and music really ramp up the drama and horror of World War I, while Bob Fox’s folk singing and lyrics to the songs still bring some of the sadness that we feel about that conflict 100 year on.
The human standouts are Albert Narracott and his mother Rose. As Albert, Thomas Dennis has to go from spirited, child-like 16-year-old farm boy to weary war hero who almost loses that spirit in the end – much of the play’s tenderness comes from the scenes featuring Albert and Joey.
Jo Castleton plays Rose Narracott, whose grief is so believable when she realises her underage son has run off to war.
War Horse as a play is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the fact that it’s still producing standing ovations is testimony to its success. From a successful little novel released in 1982, National Theatre and Handspring Puppet Company have created a stunning, emotional piece of theatre.