The dramatic play "War Horse" has won bucketfulls of awards and has made troughs of money. The reviews have generally been stellar; my brother even recommends it. So, it was with high expectations that I went to see "War Horse" at the New London Theatre, on Drury Lane.
First let it be said that the puppetry of the horses is remarkable. Each horse is operated by three puppeteers, who are always visible but never noticeable. The inspired element of the design is the ears, which express the horse's inner thoughts (sort of -- what puppetry really shows us is the power of the human imagination to ascribe meaning to the movement of wood, fabric, and metal). The scene-stealer is the goose, which is pushed along on a stick like a children's toy, and gets all of the good physical comedy bits.
The cast is game enough, and works with the puppets and the large stage with confidence. But, by the second act, it becomes all too apparent that the story is a gallop of melodramatic cliches. The play then alternates from loud-and-blinding-isn't-war-horrible (odd it never occurred to anyone to write a play about that before) to long stretches of dialogue in French and German (oooh, how sophisticated) that keep the horses in the background (big mistake). And just when things aren't tedious enough, we introduce the Little Girl Who Loves the Horse and Yells a Lot. Now I understand why British theatres let you bring drinks to your seat.
Steven Spielberg's film version is scheduled for release in the USA in time for Christmas 2011. Instead of the puppets, the film will use real horses. Expect lots of CGI, and it's hard to imagine "War Horse" working without the puppets. But, I'm not one to underestimate Steven Spielberg, plus the cast includes Emily Watson, who is the Best Actress Ever (if you haven't seen the film "Breaking the Waves", see it, and prepare to be shattered).
Worth seeing? Yes, because the puppetry is unprecedented and thrilling; but leave at the interval and spare yourself the noise.
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