Little Lark of London

War Horse is on tour across the UK and Ireland once again, telling the story of a young boy, Albert Narracott (Tom Sturgess), and his horse, Joey, which was originally written by Michael Morpurgo and published in 1982. The play is an adaptation by Nick Stafford, originally directed by Tom Morris and currently directed by Katie Henry. After premiering in 2007 at the National Theatre, the show has been on the West End and Broadway and has been performed in a range of countries including Australia, Germany and China. 

For those unfamiliar with the work, audiences follow a young man named Albert as he grows up alongside the horse his father, Ted (Karl Haynes), won in a reckless bet for 39 guineas against his brother, Arthur (Gareth Radcliffe). But, as World War I begins, Ted sells the horse, named Joey by Albert, to the cavalry. Heartbroken, Albert joins the war in order to find Joey, leading to an epic and emotional journey of connection and violence. 

If you’ve heard of War Horse, you’ve probably heard about the star of the show – the puppetry. Indeed, the horses on stage are portrayed by simply stunning puppets, which are designed and fabricated by Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company and directed by Matthew Forbes. There are two main horse puppets, with one portraying Joey, Albert’s horse, and the other portraying Topthorn, the horse of Captain Stewart (Dan Rock). The two horses have several clashes throughout the show but must learn to work together as they are used by both the English and the Germans. At this particular performance, the performers portraying Joey were Matthew Lawrence, Ross Green and Gun Suen, and those portraying Topthorn were Tom Quinn, Chris Milford, Samuel Parker (Act 1) and Tommy Goodridge (Act 2 – Goodridge also plays an adorable goose in Act 1!).

The set, designed by Rae Smith, is incredibly simple, with only a few props like doors and wheelbarrows brought in for certain scenes. A large white strip remains above the actors, with drawings (also by Smith) appearing to add more of a background to the set. There are several drawings done within the show by Lieutenant Nicholls (Chris Williams), the cavalryman who takes care of Joey at the start of the war, which are projected onto the screen. Some interesting (and not always effective) choices are made with the projections (designed by Nicol Scott and Ben Pearcy for 59) onto the blank “paper” above the stage. The landscapes that bring England and France to life are beautiful, but there are jarring moments like images of the sunken faces of soldier that take away from the action happening on stage. 

The show has dialogue that grows a bit too expositional at times, with some characters simply existing to support the main characters without any development on their own. As someone who has never read the original novel, I cannot say how much of this is from the novel versus the adaptation, but I would have been interested in seeing more of the effects on war for those involved. There are some lovely scenes of bonding between those who are meant to be in opposition in the war, especially involving Captain Friedrich Müller (Danny Hendrix) and the French farmwoman (Madeleine Leslay) and her daughter, Emilie (Clara Lioe), but these feel quite rushed compared to the main story of Albert searching for Joey.

Along with the script itself, the show has gorgeous music that is used to tell the story. The music has been written by Adrian Sutton, and folk songs writted by Songmaker John Tams, sung beautifully by Sally Swanson as “The Singer.” There is a mix of upbeat and joyful songs and ballads mourning the losses of World War I, as well as a few songs sung by the troops as they prepare to go to battle that really allow the audience to connect with the characters on stage. 

Ultimately, War Horse is a beautiful work of theatre that is able to blend music, puppetry, art and acting in a way that brings a powerful story to people of all ages. It’s a tale of strength and love as well as the horrors of war, illustrating the extreme lengths of the human experience. Be sure to bring tissues!

War Horse continues its tour of the UK and Ireland until 8 November, stopping in Wimbledon (5 to 16 August), Leeds (19 August to 6 Spetember), Newcastle (10 to 20 September), Edinburgh (2 to 11 October), Cardiff (15 to 25 October) and Norwich (28 October to 8 November). For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.