War Horse tells the remarkable story of "Joey," a horse purchased by the army during World War I and his journey through the war to make it safely home. The great success of the play comes from the incredible horse puppets designed by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa. The designs for the puppets are minimal, leaving the operators completely exposed. The operators are easily ignored as they bring to life the life-sized puppets that have as much personality, if not sometimes more, than the human actors on the stage. If only for the puppetry, this show is worth seeing.
The set design by Rae Smith couldn't be more minimal. With what looked like a large scrap of paper across the length of the top of the stage, beautiful images were projected that artistically conveyed the scene while the lower half of the stage was left to a few set pieces at best, usually propped by actors. This constant presence of actors holding a few small set pieces is not a distraction whatsoever, proving the true genius of the design.
Throughout the show, which takes place in Europe, the actors spoke in accent. This unfortunately proved difficult to understand what they were saying. Whether or not it was the sound system or the thick accents, the difficulty in understanding them resulted in a lack of personal connection to the human characters. At times I felt more attached to the perfectly adorable goose (a puppet pushed around like a toy) than the humans.
One of the most charming things about War Horse, is it's lack of special effects. In a show that could have easily turned to pyrotechnics and flashy effects to show the drama in the war, it uses dynamic lighting (by Paule Constable) and sound and music to make a transformative experience that passionately draws the audience in. It is surprising how intense and dramatic some of the scenes of war are conveyed when only these puppets are on stage with impressive lighting. It had me on the edge of my seat!
The greatest drawback of War Horse is it's lack of delving deeper into some interesting points. For example, it is only briefly touched on that throughout the show, the audience feels a deeper connection to the animals than to the people. We shout in terror and weep in pain as the horse is caught in a barbed-wire fence, and are truly heart-broken when one horse is "put down" after an injury. While humans are dying more frequently, we attach ourselves more to the animals: a point that deserves some deep discussion. Secondly, "Joey," the main character in War Horse, is at different times a tool of war for different sides. This usage of him as a tool with no particular allegiance to anyone also deserves discussion. Being that the source material is a children's book, it is easy to understand why the show doesn't get much deeper.
All-around, War Horse is a fabulous theater experience everyone should have. The cast is strong, but most impressive is the all-around visceral experience. Each scene is seamlessly weaved into the next through beautiful lighting, powerful songs and music that serve as framing devices, and a epic story with stunning puppetry. A wonderful show for all ages that is a theater experience that should not be missed.
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