Review: War Horse (Theatre Royal Glasgow)

There’s life in this old mare yet

It has been nearly two decades since Joey first galloped onto the National Theatre stage. A groundbreaking performance at the time, the adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Young Adult novel used puppetry on a scale never seen before. But War Horse has been around the paddock a few times now, and with the jaw-dropping Life of Pi touring in Glasgow last year, does it still entertain and amaze audiences today?

Before we meet the horses, we must meet the humans. Tom Sturgess plays Albert, the young man charged with raising and caring for Joey the horse before they are cruelly separated and Joey is sold to aid the war efforts. Sturgess affects a nasal Yorkshire whine to demonstrate that he is playing a teenager, a trick which is effective but irritating. Gareth Radcliffe plays his father, a drunk gambler from the alcoholic’s school of gambling and drinking. His performance is cliché and shallow, but so is his character, and much of the writing. Perhaps that is to be expected from a Young Adult writer, but every sentence feels like the simplest version of itself.

In a way that makes it the optimal canvas for puppetry, design, and spectacle. Upon seeing the muddy palette of the stage my heart sank, but that was quickly dispelled when the performance began. Above the stage, we are transported from place to place with hand-drawn and watercolour projections. As we move from the safety of the English countryside to the warzone of France both the writing and the set are transformed. There’s more tension, more detail, and oddly enough more humour. It weaves in a message of peace, of reaching across the border and recognising commonality, a worthwhile message in today’s climate.

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg

The puppets themselves take three talented puppeteers to operate. Rather than strive for realism, or strive for artistic vibrancy like Life of Pi, their construction is laid bare. We can see the cain and stretch net, and more importantly how the joints function. It is impressive just to watch them in action, and quickly you start to believe in them as creatures and mourn them when they are hit by bullets and bombs. The performance endeavours to centre Joey as the protagonist, and while I don’t think they can take the gimmick that far he is certainly a sight to behold (and a more charming lead than Sturgess). Four stars.

Whispers from the Crowd: "Supurb!" "Stunning!" "No other way to describe it."

War Horse has completed its run at Theatre Royal Glasgow

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg