War Horse
Magnificent theatre is the only way to describe the National Theatre of Great Britain’s production of War Horse. The story of illiterate farm-boy Albert and his horse Joey, who is sent off to the First World War as a cavalry horse, and Albert’s subsequent enlistment to find him, is powerfully evoked by a large ensemble cast and some brilliant life-size horse puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company. Within minutes of the play beginning you believe the puppets are real and forget they’re being manipulated by three people per horse. The love between Albert and Joey which begins when Joey is a foal is palpable and at the finale heartbreakingly moving.As Albert, newcomer Cody Fern makes an auspicious debut. It’s a big role which he brings an emotional experience to that belies his age. Ian Bliss was compelling as the proud hot-headed father Ted, while Natasha Herbert as the mother Rose displayed total empathy for her anguished son. In the large ensemble cast, who frequently doubled as Villagers of Devon and soldiers, Nicholas Bell’s Arthur stood out as a fine adversary for his brother Ted, with James Bell (Billy), Dale March (Lieutenant Nicholls), and Andrew Tighe (Captain Friedrich Muller) also turning in memorable performances.Sets were evocative of farm and battlefield landscapes aided by superb lighting and sound effects. Drew Barr’s redirection, despite some minor alterations of the original direction by Marianne Elliot and Tom Morris, is still an epic piece of theatre.
Peter Pinne
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