After years of wanting to see War Horse after its transfer to
the West End last night I finally got the chance. And it well worth the wait. War
Horse is spectacular. The staging is stunning, the puppetry masterful. The
story is beautiful and moving. It is simply incredible theatre.
War Horse tells the story of 16 year old Albert Narracott
who raises a quite special horse called Joey on his family’s Devon farm. After
the breakout of war Joey is sent to fight in France and experiences the atrocities
of WWI. Distraught by Joey’s drafting Albert signs up to fight in the hope of
being reunited with his horse.
War Horse educates about the Great War from an interesting,
and equine, perspective, but also shows the horrors of war in a very human way.
This is achieved not only in the spectacular sets but also through the
brilliant acting and beautiful music.
The cast was brilliant. War Horse has quite a large cast and
this enable the show to have an epic feel to it. Some shows can be hard to get
lost in as you are very aware you are in a theatre or that there is a lacking
in cast due to budgeting. War Horse escapes this and the story is made richer
by the scale of the production.
War Horse has a very strong cast and I felt in particular
Alex Avery (Captain Nicholls), Jack Holden (Albert Narracott) and Richard Cant
(Friedrich Muller) were fantastic.
What I thought was amazing about War Horse was not only the
talents of the actors but also the skills of the puppeteers. The puppetry is
masterful. During the show I totally forgot the horses were animated by people
(albeit absolutely incredible actors and puppeteers – they get every reaction,
and noise, spot on. Such, such talented performers). I have never seen anything like it and to see
life-sized horses that act exactly like horses on a stage was incredible.
I was also impressed at how a goose could become the comedy
star of a show!
War Horse is brilliantly narrated by folk songs (performed
by the excellent Bob Fox www.bobfoxmusic.com).
This is a genius touch as it not only relates the story back to Albert’s Devon
home but also brings a sentiment and feeling that I don’t think could have been
achieved in any other or a more fitting way.
The staging of War Horse is quite simple but utterly
magnificent. A few props aided with spectacular lighting really create
incredible scenes. The use of ‘slo-motion’ during the show was brilliant. This
really is a show where creativity, craft and exceptional talent come together
across all aspects of the production.
I must say that the layout of the New London Theatre was
great and all seats seemed to give a great view. We had seats in the front row
and it really allowed us to get immersed in the show. If you sit in the front section the actors
move about through the audience so it is well worth trying to get seats here if
you want to feel involved in the action.
But also remember to bring tissues! You won’t be able to
stop yourself wholly embracing the story so be prepared to have your
heartstrings tugged.
I cannot recommend enough that people see War Horse. It is
unlike anything else on in the West End and is a truly unforgettable night. War Horse has received much critical acclaim
and many accolades including awards for direction, stage design, choreography
and most recently Best West End Show at the Whatsonstage awards.
War Horse can be seen at the New London Theatre in Drury
Lane (http://warhorselondon.nationaltheatre.org.uk/).
War Horse is based on the novel by Michael Monpurgo.
