A celebration of high-tech, life-sized puppetry created by South African puppeteers, the Handspring Puppet Company, War Horse brings to life a moving and emotional story adapted from the novel by Michael Morpurgo, Britain’s Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005.
Powerfully moving, War Horse leaves the likes of Black Beauty out in the cold, telling the tale of Joey, beloved steed of young Albert, who is sold to the cavalry at the start of World War I and transported to France. Joey embarks on an amazing journey, serving on both sides of the conflict, until he’s abandoned in no-man’s land. Meanwhile, Albert sets out to find him and bring him home. There is seldom a dry eye in the house during this sensational production, which sold out for its first run and is now assured of packed houses several years hence.
Rave reviews have lauded the puppet horses: startlingly life-like, with their twitching ears and flaring nostrils, they are worked by manipulators who give life to the equine characters in this unique production, even though they are constructed from curved cane, thin fabric and starchy paper manes. War Horse is charging into Hollywood, being adapted for the screen by Stephen Spielberg.
