Stage: War Horse

The National Theatre’s West End Hit adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel is riding into The Brighton Centre

It was a moderate success as a book, shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize, but it was only when The National Theatre working with Adrian Kohler and Basil James of Cape Town based Handspring puppet Company got their hands on it that this amazing story broke into a theatrical gallop
It opened on the South Bank in 2007 and has since gone on to achieve massive international acclaim and a host of awards. So how come it was 2016 before I managed to see this extraordinary show?
I guess because I am not a horse lover, but that is a very lame excuse. I did watch the film, well part of it. That simply did not grasp my attention and I gave up before the end.
So when I heard that the show, which is about close in the West End, was to be taken on tour and would be coming to Brighton I was intrigued. What was it about this show that hard garnered such acclaim and captured the hearts of around 2.7 million people in the UK and over 7 million people worldwide. Well it had to be seen, so despite terrible storms and cancelled trains I made my way to the New London Theatre to meet the people behind the success and finally see the show.
I was not to be disappointed. After a speech by the executive director of the National Theatre Michael Morpurgo walked out on the stage clutching a copy of the book and reminding us that it had once been just a book. He told the story of how he came to write it, a moving tale in itself and then how he was approached by the National Theatre, met the team and became part of this international success.

Next we met the man behind the puppets who introduced us to Joey, the war horse. I wasn’t sure what to expect but to say that I was blown away would be a serious understatement. Joey thunders and snorts, he twitches and responds emotionally to what happens around him. This is all made possible by three actor/puppeteers who inhabit the character, one is the head, one the heart and one the tail. They demonstrated, without the costume, how this all works. It was extraordinary, quite amazing to see and hear.
Later that evening I saw the show and was mesmerised by the beauty of the production, the stunning puppets, strong design and faultless ensemble company that pull this off.
The truth is that with a puppet horse the company can get to the heart of what Morpurgo wanted to achieve, which is to tell the story from the perspective of the horse Joey. It’s not a pro-British story, or pro-German or French for that matter. The film failed for me because a real horse could not be directed beyond being told to walk, trot, canter and gallop. This puppet can react with intensity, and that’s why it works.
War Horse comes to the Brighton Centre in January 2018. Yes a long way off, so why tell you now? Well tickets are already on sale and selling fast. It may be some time off but with the show closing in less than a month now is the time to make sure that you do not miss it when it gallops into town.
War Horse, Brighton Centre, 25th January to 10th February 2018
0844 847 1515, www.brightoncentre.co.uk