BWW Reviews: WAR HORSE, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, January 30 2014

I knew what I was getting into with War Horse. Having read the book and seen the film, I knew it was going to make me cry. I was still unprepared.

War Horse managed to completely sell out its debut Scottish run at the Festival Theatre weeks before it opened. Based on the 1982 children's book by Michael Morpurgo, the stage adaptation first opened in London in 2007. While some elements of the story have changed, the plot is essentially the same. Ted Narracot bids on a foal at auction, trying to outdo his brother. His son Albert bonds with the horse Joey and is devastated when his father later sells the horse to the army. The narrative goes between Joey's experience in the war and Albert's determination to find his horse again.

The puppetry is incredible. It takes very little time to get used to the puppeteers and to start seeing Joey as a real horse. The setting is simple and the few props they have are reused for several scenes, but that just makes it seem all the more imaginative.

The production is advertised as "suitable for ages 10+" and there were signs outside the theatre advising that there would be gunshots and explosions. Although I am well over the age of 10 I do have a fear of sudden loud noises and I noticed I wasn't the only one to jump out of my skin on several occasions!

I was impressed with the amount of passion the cast put into the performance. As I previously mentioned, this is a fairly emotional story and I think this is mostly due to a dedicated and talented cast.

War Horse continues its sold out run at the Festival Theatre until February 15th before continuing its uk tour.

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