[Review] War Horse: Heroism, Heartbreak, and Hooves

Swindon Link freelance reporter Jessica Durston attended the gala night of the acclaimed National Theatre production of War Horse, at Oxford’s New Theatre.

It was an absolute treat to be invited down to the prestigious press night of this fantastic show at the stunning New Theatre. 

The Oxford-based playhouse’s ambassadors lounge was decorated to the nines with red, white, and blue streamers and flags, and an extensive and mouth-watering buffet was laid out neatly. The background music and choice of classic hors d'oeuvres harkened back to a past, wartime Britain, in keeping with the historical setting of the play. 

For those unaware of the story’s synopsis, this Michael Morpurgo classic centres around a teenage boy called Albert, and his treasured horse, Joey. The pair bond together on Albert’s family farm when Joey is a foal, and are then cruelly separated from one another during the outbreak of World War I. Joey is sold to the British Army to be taken into battle by the inspiring Captain Nicholls, and Albert is distraught. Joey embarks on a perilous journey into war-torn France, and Albert finds himself soon on the next boat over - but as a soldier. Albert undertakes his own set of dangerous challenges, and belligerently scours the battlefields, hoping to reunite with his beloved equine companion, and return home safely. 

Spoiler alert - director Tom Morris and revival director Katie Henry have taken this much-loved tale and created something truly special. 

The main draw of this fantastic show is of course, the three mechanical horse puppets, operated constantly by a group of the performance players. Operating Joey, was the dedicated team made up of Matthew Lawrence, Rafe Young, and Felicity Donnelly. Controlling the Topthorn puppet were the equally impressive trio Tea Poldervaart, Robin Hayward, and Gun Suen. Diany Samba-Bandza, Jordan Paris and Eloise Beaumont-Wood were also on hand to expertly manoeuvre another Joey puppet, in his foal form. 

The aforementioned individuals managing and moving the two adult protagonal horses, Joey and Topthorn, must have undergone hours of animal behaviour studies. Almost instantly, you forget you are watching three human individuals under an equine frame - for all intensive purposes, these animals were real for all those watching. Additionally, seeing Joey in his foal form at the start of the performance was ridiculously charming, and really set the audience up to understand the special bond he would come to form with Albert. 

The mechanics of the horse puppets are incredible. The way they move across the stage is unbelievably captivating. When Joey and Topthorn are taken into the army to be ridden by soldiers into battle, there is a scene where they meet for the first time, and are compelled to determine who the top horse is. This was a stand out moment of the first half for me, and I was completely mesmerised by the physical theatricality, and beauty of movement between the two teams of puppeteers. It was like a beautiful dance was taking place, with the foreboding music and stormy backdrop. The stage lights were playing through the fabric covering each of the horses’ frames, replicating almost a stained-glass effect. 

As well as the three horse puppets, there were other additional animal characters operated by single members of the cast. There was a goose present during the scenes taking place at the farmhouse who added light comedic relief to the otherwise serious, emotional, and sometimes harrowing narrative. 

Moreover, inquisitive and hungry crow puppets also appeared in the scenes where the bodies of fallen soldiers were littering the stage. These instances of puppet/player interaction brought to the forefront of everyone’s attention, the brutality and morbidity of the frontline battle that occupies a large portion of the play’s story. 

So, that aside, let's get onto discussing the human characters within the production. There is such a vast, rich, and talented cast bringing this poignant story to life, so forgive me that I only have space to mention a few individually in this review. 

Tom Sturgess brought such energy and heart to Albert Narracott. His emotional and humourous interactions with the two Joey puppets were magical, and helped to communicate the special relationship the two share in the story. Matching Tom’s high and boundless energy, and likeability, was Alexander Ballinger who multi-roled as Captain Friedrich and Allan. He shone particularly bright as the former - the sensitive and desperate German soldier, who you inevitably grew to empathise with, and care for.

Chris Williams took on the role of Lieutenant Nicholls. It was a nice touch to have him often appear on the edge of the stage, sketching Joey and pensively looking out into the audience. He became a stalwart - almost like a reliable apparition - over the course of the first half of the production. Before bravely riding Joey into battle, he delivered a memorable, and rousing speech not only to his fellow soldiers onstage, but seemingly directly to every spectator within the theatre. Williams handled this character with care, and possessed the inspiring air that one would desire of a British lieutenant. 

Sally Swanson was cast as the mysterious and omniscient singing narrator. Her angelic vocals carved through the onstage drama taking place. She drew audience members in, and guided them through the narrative like a pastoral siren with her melancholy folk ballads.

Moving on, the minimalist staging was inspired as it allowed the players to bring the different environments to life with props. The cast were utilised like living pieces of scenery, to great effect. A lack of set pieces also helped to draw even more attention to the fantastic life-size horse puppets. 

The clever projector screen backdropping the main stage area mimics the torn scrap of Lieutenant Nicholls’ sketchbook, which becomes a talismanic symbol within the show. This digital asset helped to set the scene with its various changing charcoal illustrations revealing the season, country/county, or year, for each dramatic sequence onstage.

It is also worth mentioning the costume design (overseen by Sarah Holmes and Aimee Carter) teamed with the cast’s accent/dialect capabilities were very effective in creating a well-defined sense of place. 

Once the performance had come to an end, an extended bout of applause filled the entire theatre for an outstretched duration. I feel the audience were relishing the opportunity to be able to show their appreciation for the cast, as there were no other breaks for any claps or cheers throughout either half of the play. War Horse really casts a spell over theatre-goers and immerses them in non-stop action from the start, right through until the end of each act. 

If my feelings haven't been abundantly clear so far, I will wrap this review up by highly recommending you gallop on down to the ticket booths and treat yourself to a viewing of this remarkable stage show. 

More information about the National Theatre production of War Horse can be found online at https://www.warhorseonstage.com/. 

More information about what’s on at Oxford’s New Theatre can be found online at https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford/.