Reviewed by Kim Bickerdike
Before the show began I was lucky to be able to meet Joey and Gareth Aled, the resident Puppetry Director and was treated to a live up close demonstration of how this fantastic puppet is brought to life. Gareth’s passion for this show and puppetry was evident and was totally infectious and the demonstration was completely fascinating. If I wasn’t excited for the performance before I met Joey, I certainly was afterwards.
The story of War Horse is a sad but heart-warming tale during World War One and there are plenty of touching moments particularly as the relationship between Albert and Joey grows and deepens. There are also plenty of funny one liners, and rib tickling scenes especially the ones featuring a wayward goose.
As the show opens we meet baby Joey at the auction where he is bought for a young Albert Narracott (played by Danny Hendrix). Albert and Joey form a very close bond and Albert manages to tame and train a very spirited young horse.
The story then moves from young Joey to a fully grown, handsome and majestic horse. When he first arrives on stage, the audience are mesmerized by how life like and full of personality he is. It’s amazing watching how he navigates around the stage.
Circumstances lead to all healthy horses being requisitioned by the army and sent off to war and as Joey is such an impressive horse he is hand selected by Lieutenant James Nicholls (played by Ben Cutler) to be his own personal horse. Albert is devastated by this situation and vows to get Joey back no matter what it takes.
Albert decides to enlist in the army and the performance then follows the separate journeys and adventures of Albert and Joey as they deal with everything that the war throws at them. There are many sad scenes during this part of the performance, with the most harrowing bit being when Joey was caught and injured in the barbed wire and the whole audience was gripped whilst he thrashed and tried to free himself. The scenes with the struggling horses are distressing and poignant and provides the audience with a taste of how awful the conditions of war are.
The stage setup is striking as there is no fixed set, and each scene is created using sound, a fantastic lighting show, smoke and the some creative props which lead to an eerie and atmospheric feeling and keep the focus of the audience on the actors throughout the whole show, particularly the horses.
The show finishes with a tear jerker of a scene, when an injured Joey and Albert are reunited and make their way home. There isn’t a dry eye in the house and the audience erupted in cheers and applause as this spectacular comes to an end. The standing ovation was definitely deserved.
The standout performance throughout the show were the horses and the puppeteers who controlled their every noise, breath and movement. Each movement the puppets make is fascinating and there are many times throughout when I forgot they are puppets.
War Horse is returning to Liverpool Empire for a 3 week run. This is a must see show and something I could watch again and again. The whole cast and crew deserve all the praise they receive. I for one will be going again next week to watch the wonderful Joey and co in action.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £13 (plus £3.65 transaction fee).
War Horse is at the Liverpool Empire from 31 July to 17 August 2019, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/liverpool or call the box office on 0844 8713017.
Liverpool Empire, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE | 0844 8713017
