The National Theatre company have a reputation for putting on spellbinding family performances. Based on the book by Michael Morpurgo, the excitement for War Horse to arrive in Liverpool has been palpable. Often it is difficult for performances to live up to the hype however War Horse does not disappoint.
War Horse tells the story of WW1 through the eyes of Joey, the horse. Joey is sold to a cavalry division and shipped off to war in France. First, Joey is the property of the British before being captured by the Germans. He ends up injured and wandering in no-mans-land. However Joey’s owner enlists in the army, at just 16, in the hopes of finding his beloved horse once again.
On paper, it should be near on impossible to stage the story of a horse on the stage, particularly one with the stature of Joey. One would be forgiven for having concerns about the “puppetry” – I certainly did however within the first few scenes, I almost believed it was a real horse on that stage.
The puppets within the show are truly awe-inspiring. Made by the Handspring Puppet Company there is no aim for realism within the woodwork of the puppets however they manage to capture the movement of horses perfectly.
This goes far beyond the puppetry – Nick Stafford’s powerful adaptation of Morpurgo’s novel cleverly removes the horses dialogue and tells the story through the human characters. The essence of the war is captured well and the relationship between human and animals is displayed beautifully. This is an incredibly emotional performance that displays the horror and waste of the Great War.
I have visited the Empire Theatre many times though I have never witnessed an audience so taken in by a performance – myself included. The audience barely moved throughout both halves of this performance partly due to being completely enthralled by the puppets but also completely taken with the emotion of the performance.
War Horse is a truly stunning, emotional, performance and one of the best to grace the Empire stage.