Theatre / Reviews
Review: War Horse, Bristol Hippodrome – ‘An epic, theatrical marvel’
War Horse, based on the 1982 Michael Morpurgo novel, is a theatrical powerhouse. It played more than 3,000 performances over seven years in the West End, winning multiple Olivier Awards, in addition to the six Tonys from its Broadway run.
It’s been on many UK tours since, as well as being produced internationally – 8.3 million people have now seen the play worldwide. The novel was even adapted into a 2011 film version directed by Stephen Spielberg. Famously, the horses in the production are majestic, life-size puppets, created by the South African Handspring Theatre company.
The original novel and play are inspired by the World War I veterans who Morpurgo met near his home in Devon; and particularly their work with horses during the conflict. The narrative follows the story of Albert (Tom Sturgess) whose father drunkenly buys a horse – Joey – and trains him to plough the fields around their home, desperate to keep him despite his father’s wishes.
The cast of War Horse
However, they’re overtaken by events, as Joey is finally sold again by Albert’s father to the preparing army and taken abroad to be part of the cavalry. Sturgess is earnest and endearing, although his character is a little one-dimensional; he is utterly dedicated to Joey, and although his family dynamics are clearly drawn, we don’t get much sense of his motivations or ambitions before they’re subsumed by him. A lot of the other characters are quite thinly-drawn too, but we don’t get much time to spend with them, given the high mortality rate of the war, and the focus on Joey’s varied narrative.
The staging of War Horse is initially sparse, with a ripped section of parchment hanging above the stage which has animated drawings (by Rae Smith) projected onto them. These are extremely effective, especially when paired with the spectacular puppetry; we get a real and touching sense of location and Joey and Albert’s initial bonding together, as well as the subsequent locations and horrors of war.
Ike Bennett (David Taylor) and Tom Sturgess (Albert Narracott)
Given the fame and success of the show, I knew the puppetry would be good, but it is truly incredible. Not only are young Joey’s (Eloise Beaumont-Wood, Diany Samba-Bandza and Jordan Paris) and adult Joey’s puppeteers (Rianna Ash, Chris Milford and Thomas Goodridge) absolutely brilliant in making him convincing as a horse, despite us clearly being able to see them and his mechanics, they excel at conveying his emotions too; shuddering with fear, gently enquiring and rearing with frustration, as well as just fidgeting and existing in the manner of a real animal.
The action then moves to France, as Joey and the new human and horse recruits are confronted with the reality of war. These scenes are probably the most transcendent; the combination of the projected animations, puppetry, and sound and lighting (the latter by Christopher Shutt and Rob Casey) feel terrifyingly immersive and are a credit to director Tom Morris and revival director Katie Henry. The use of strobe lighting as the unit’s first charge is immediately overwhelmed by machine gunfire is incredibly powerful and effective.
Gareth Radcliffe (Arthur Narracott), Karl Haynes (Ted Narracott), Eloise Beaumont-Wood, Diany Samba-Bandza, Jordan Paris (Baby Joey) and cast
It is a long play, but it does feel like an epic, through the many different locations and various characters that Joey encounters. Albert also enlists and desperately attempts to track Joey across France, being confronted with the brutality and scale of the conflict at every turn. The line of men coming downstage as they go over the top, as well as the appearance of the tanks, and mirrored by the animations, are especially well-done.
An interview with Morpurgo in the programme references how the book has occasionally felt like a nostalgic throwback to a bygone era of war, but unfortunately has become more relevant in recent years. The intermittent appearance of singers, led by Sally Swanson – who also plays accordion and has a stunning voice – adds to the feeling of a charmingly far-away history, allowing for montage scenes and emotional pauses that wouldn’t work otherwise.
The cast of War Horse. Diany Samba-Bandza, Jordan Paris, Eloise Beaumont-Wood (Baby Joey)
The uniforms, references to the Kaiser and the scenes at the Somme feel comfortingly distant on the surface, but the all-encompassing violence, misery and indiscriminate death remains the same as war today.
It is a masterful feat of stagecraft to convey the horrors of war so atmospherically, and even more so to make the audience empathise so deeply with an animal central character. Truly, War Horse is one of the most impressive pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen.
Jack Lord (Klausen), Alexander Ballinger (Friedrich), Matthew Lawrence, Rafe Young, Felicity Donnelly (Joey), Rianna Ash, Chris Milford, Thomas Goodridge (Topthorn)
War Horse is at Bristol Hippodrome on June 3-21 at 7.30pm, with additional 2.30pm matinee shows on Wednesday and Saturday (no shows Sunday). Tickets are available at www.atgtickets.com.
All photos: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
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