Reviewed by Judy Richter
"War Horse" is nothing short of a
magnificent theatrical experience on all levels. When you look at the credits,
you can see that it represents artistic collaboration at its best. It's hard
even to know where to start, but we'll start with Nick Stafford, who adapted it from the novel
by Michael Morpurgo, then worked in association with Handspring Puppet Company and co-directors Marianne
Elliott and Tom
Morris of the National
Theatre of Great Britain. The U.S. tour is directed by Bijan Sheibani.
The
result is a gripping tale compelling told in deceptively simple terms. It all
starts in Devon, England, in 1912 when a struggling farmer engages in a bidding
war with his estranged, more prosperous brother to buy a spirited thoroughbred
foal at auction. Much to his wife's dismay, the farmer wins the bid but
squanders the mortgage money. His young son, Albert (Andrew Veenstra), immediately bonds with the
horse and calls him Joey. Two years later, when England goes to war with
Germany in 1914, the father sells Joey to the English cavalry.
From
there Joey undergoes a series of harrowing experiences, but through some lucky
coincidences and the kindness of some people, he somehow survives. In the
meantime, Albert joins the army to search for Joey and undergoes harrowing
experiences of his own. It's not until four years later, on Armistice Day in
1918, that yet another lucky coincidence saves Joey and reunites him with
Albert.
All
of this unfolds with vivid imagination as Joey and three other horses are
portrayed by full-size puppets created by Adrian Kohler with Basil Jones of Handspring Puppet Company.
Each one is manipulated by two or three puppeteers, who bring the puppets to
life as the horses gallop, rear, whinny, snort and otherwise act like real
horses. Birds and a feisty goose are portrayed by other puppets.
The
action unfolds on a set created by Rae Smith, who also created the costumes
and drawings. Spanning the stage, the primary set piece is a swath of canvas
suspended upstage. Drawings and other images created by 59 Productions are projected onto it to evoke
settings as varied as an English village and a horrific battlefield on the
mainland. Paule Constable adds to the scenic effects with the lighting, as
supplemented and adapted by Karen Spahn. The director of movement and horse choreography
is Toby Sedgwick.
The realistic sound is by Christopher Shutt with additional sound and
adaptation by John Owens. The music, composed by Adrian Sutton, is conducted by Greg Pliska.
The
cast of more than 30 -- that's in addition to the puppeteers -- forms a
cohesive ensemble and creates well-defined characters. They're led by Veenstra
as Albert, along with Todd Cerveris as his loutish father, Ted, and Angela Reed as Rose, his supportive mother.
Some of the other characters who stand out in the story are Private David
Taylor (Alex Morf),
who becomes Albert's good friend in the army; Capt. Friedrich Muller (Andrew
May), the kindly
German officer who contributes to Joey's survival; along with a French girl,
Emilie (Lavita Shaurice). John Milosich is the Song Man who sings at various times, accompanied
by an instrumental Song Man, Nathan Koci.
Hence,
at the end of the two-act, more than two-hour show, the audience has been
gifted with a touching story of a boy's devotion to his horse, an epic drama
about the horrors of war, and a human look at the people who are involved in
the war as combatants and victims.
And
then there are the horses, especially Joey and his pal, Topthorn. They're
unforgettable.