Joey, the beloved "horse" of War Horse
WAR HORSE. Stunning.
I have been going to the theatre for the past 40 years of my life and I think I saw maybe the best show I have ever seen in those 40 years–WAR HORSE. Based on a 1982 children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, this National Theatre of Great Britain/Lincoln Center production is staggering in its visual staging, sound, puppetry, design, and the sheer beauty of its story.
A deceptively simple tale of a relationship between a horse and a boy, WAR HORSE is set during the early days of World War I where over 1 million horses from Great Britain were “enlisted” to fight in a war that put tanks, machine guns, chemical warfare, and barbed wire up against the traditional fighting strategy of men on horses charging through the country side–not an effective match up with only a scant 60,000 horses returning from the war.
The power of the production really stems from the horses–amazingly life-like and crafted by the South African theatre company Handspring Puppet Company. They range from a young foal to full-size working horses that are so real that despite being able to see the puppeteers manipulating them, they become “alive” through the script and staging.
I could go on and on–but all I will say is that you must see this show if you love theatre. It really is a once in a lifetime experience. Now, how do I get it to come to Dayton?
