War Horse

When I first heard that we were going to see War Horse I was very doubtful. The main root of my skepticism came from the horse puppets. How can you capture the size, beauty, and movements of a horse? Aren’t the people controlling the puppets going to get in the way? How can you recreate an animal without looking bad and fake? More skepticism came from the fact that it takes place during World War I. How can you portray a war without the special effects that the movies and millions of dollars can offer? But War Horse completely blew me away and it is probably the best performance I have ever seen! It had me sitting on the edge of my seat and fighting back the tears. There so many scenes, moments, characters, and effects in the play that I loved that I’ve been sitting at my computer for the past half hour trying to decide where I should begin. 

I think the best place to begin is with the horses. All my skepticism about the horses being puppets melted away within the first 10 minutes of the play. The people controlling the horses’ disappeared and become part of the horse. The details of the horse are amazing, from the size to the small movements of the tail, ears and the horses breathing. The puppets really came to life. 

What I also loved was the set and effects they used. For such a simple set they were able to portray so much. The ripped piece of paper on the top was simple and yet so effective. The scene when the two horses, Topthorn and Joey were traveling by boat made me feel like I was in the boat, getting sea sick. My favorite effect was the use of lighting. An example of this is the scene where the soldiers are marching into battle. All you can see was their silhouette and the guns going off. It was so powerful; it created the feeling of fear and uncertainty of the soldiers without anyone having to say it.

In class we were talking about universality and having a production that is relatable to everyone, I think that War Horse is one of those stories. There are moments and emotions that were portrayed by the characters that are universal; whether it is a bond to an animal, fighting in a war, knowing someone in a war, uncertainty, fear, loss or happiness. I don’t know any German or French, but you still could understand what they were saying and the connection between the actors themselves and the audience because of the emotions that they were portraying.  The moments and emotions that are created are ones that every one of all ages can connect to and I think this is why this can be a classic tale for everyone.

Marta Sato