Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – until 8 June
Reviewed by Jo Gordon
5*****
Now into it’s tenth anniversary, the National Theatres stage adaption of Michael Morpurgos War Horse is currently trotting its way around the country delighting audiences far and wide.
Set in World war one, in a sleepy Devonshire village, Albert (Tomas Dennis) develops a close relationship with a horse his drunken father Billy (Jasper William Cartwright), won in an auction, paid with the money meant for the mortgage. Promising his mother that he will train the horse to be sold on, Albert names the horse Joey and a beautiful friendship begins, Joey can do all from running at great speeds to pulling a plough. War breaks out and Billy sells Joey to the Calvary. Joey first serves in the Calvary under the charge of Lt.Nicholls (Ben Ingles) alongside another horse who goes by the name of Topthorn. With the first waves of the Calvary being unprepared for the Germans use of machine guns, Lt.Nicholls sadly dies and his sketchbook and a letter are sent back home to Albert. On hearing the news, heartbroken Albert signs up to the Army aged just 16 in hope of finding his beloved horse and returning him home to the safety of Devon. We then follow how their lives run parallel in war torn France, Joey once fighting alongside the British ends up working for the Germans and Albert suffering the horrors of the trenches. Can they find each other again in the face of such harrowing conditions?
With a simple “torn paper” backdrop that has simple sketches,maps dates and times projected upon it, your full focus is on the many characters and situations drawing you right into the epicentre of the action with scene changes accompanied by the song man (Bob Fox) who musically narrates you through the story in a traditional folk style.
The Handspring Puppet Company are the real ingenuity behind this production. I have never seen puppetry that fully absorbs the audience like this before, to the point you no longer really see the group of puppeteers controlling them. The puppets themselves are truly breathtaking and combine this with the skill of Handspring breathing life into the magnificent beasts, something magical happens. To be able to convey the utter devastation war brings in such a stunning way is no mean feat yet they have achieved it to an incredibly high degree.
A beautifully emotive piece of theatre that is possibly the best stage production I have ever seen.