Review: WAR HORSE, The Lowry Theatre

More than 17 years since its onstage premiere, The National Theatre’s acclaimed production of War Horse is providing yet another unforgettable theatrical experience for audiences on its current UK and Ireland tour.

Opening at The Lowry Theatre, Manchester at the weekend, I was left in tears by this incredibly moving production.

Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse follows horse Joey, who forms a close bond with his young owner Albert. However, following the outbreak of World War One, Albert’s father sells Joey to the calvary, leading Albert to embark on a mission to find Joey and bring him home.

The story is told alongside stirring music and songs, performed by a pitch-perfect cast whose incredible vocals and harmonies left me in awe. Many of the songs are also performed by the phenomenally talented actor, musician and accordion player Sally Swanson, whose songs accompany the stories of the characters throughout. Her beautiful voice weaves together the story in a series of folk songs, moving the pace of the production along well and heightening the emotion of the scenes.

There were many moments where you could hear the audience audibly gasp throughout the show, particularly when Joey emerges from the back of the stage in act one. Having met Joey as a young foal, his reveal as a fully grown adult horse left me speechless and brought tears to my eyes.

The puppetry by the award-winning Handspring Puppet Company is second to none and the talented team of puppeteers operating Baby Joey (Diany Samba-Bandza, Jordan Paris and Eloise Beaumont-Wood), Joey (Rianna Ash, Chris Milford and Thomas Goodridge), Topthorn (Matthew Lawrence, Rafe Young and Felicity Donnelly), along with the puppet of a goose belonging to Albert’s family, all deserved a standing ovation of their own. Each movement of the puppets, whether that is a tilt of ears on Joey and Topthorn, the movement of the goose’s wings or the galloping of the horses, is very realistic and I often forgot that I was watching puppets onstage.

The relationship between Albert and Joey was also beautifully performed by Tom Sturgess, who is an exceptional actor. Even in the moments when he is not speaking, his physicality and facial expressions convey so much about how Albert is feeling - for example on Christmas Day when Albert is upset not to see Joey, or the opening scenes when Albert is building his bond with Joey on the family farm.

I was completely engaged with his performance throughout, as I was with the entire cast. Everyone gave the production their all.

Alongside the cast and puppetry, the story was brought to life with well-thought out, superbly designed production. From the use of visual projections to show the locations of the story, to the use of sticks that were used to create a ship that is moving up and down, or the use of fabric to create trenches, each element worked together to effectively tell the story.

War Horse is one of the most magnificent and moving productions I have ever seen - and one that will stay with you long after you have left the theatre.

War Horse is at The Lowry Theatre, Manchester until Saturday 28th September 2024 and will continue its tour to venues across the UK and Ireland until November 2025.

Photo credit: Brinkhoff Moegenburg

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