Galloping across the country like the noble steed it is, “War Horse” stops off momentarily at the Grand Theatre for some water and hay staying long enough to regale us once more with the stunning and breathtaking tale it has been sharing since it first staggered out of its stable back in 2007.
Though initially a book by Michael Morpurgo it was playwright Nick Stafford who trained and groomed it for success with this adaptation at the National Theatre. Handspring Puppet Company have transcended their art and produced creatures which are beyond anything we’ve before seen – they live, they breathe, they gallop. I defy anyone to see the work and not come away thoroughly convinced they have been amongst real animals. It’s uncanny. You can almost smell them. The image of Joey is now iconic having seared itself on to our national consciousness at many events including waving to the Queen at the Jubilee and to see it trot into stage in our home town is to be present at the arrival a great star. And we are.
And what we’re given is a gift horse! A stunning, vibrant evocation of a time and place deftly blending puppetry and people as if they were one.
Revival director, Katie Henry, adroitly reanimates Tom Morris’s original direction giving it freshness and vitality and truth. The play claims the stage and thunders along at gallop without one missed beat or hesitation. It is a tour de force and masterclass in page to stage translation. From the first to last note it compels, intrigues, delights and enthrals. Rarely do we see such accessible and heartfelt theatre and with a cast exceeding twenty players it’s impossible to spotlight one performer though Tom Sturgess as Albert Narracott excels in his role. But it’s not the humans, you want to hear about, is it? It’s the animals! Geese and birds and then there’s the horses. Such sublime and wondrous creations with Joey, the brown horse, credited in the programme as Head – Tom Quinn, Heart – Lewis McBean and Hind – Michael Larcombe and likewise Topthorn, the black horse as Head – Matthew Lawrence, Heart – Rafe Young, Hind – Felicity Donnelly.
They may be puppets to some people but to us, that night, they were living breathing horses. Not once did they succumb to anthropomorphism, not once were they cute Disneyfied animations. No, these were horses. Real horses. They had hearts and souls and thanks to their human helpers it was an honour to share a world with them if only for one night.
Reviewer: Peter Kinnock
Reviewed: 11th March 2025
North west End UK Rating:
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