War Horse – Theatre Royal, Glasgow

Writer: Michael Morpurgo

Adaptation: Nick Stafford

Revival Director: Katie Henry

Of all the possible novels to stage, former children’s laureate Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse always looked the least likely for adaptation. The sheer scope of the storytelling alone is enough to put off the faint-hearted, but how do you make a life-size horse, the most important character in the tale, believable?

The Handspring Puppet Company have done it by making Joey and the other horses in the show, truly magnificent creations. On a wooden framework, the almost translucent fabric skins capture every sinuous movement, at times delicate, at others intimidatingly strong. The extraordinary skills of the puppeteers somehow capturing the very essence of the horse.

It tells a story of the First World War through the eyes of a horse, Joey, who is sold to the cavalry division, shipped off to France, serves first on the British and then, after being captured, on the German side of the line, before ending up wounded and wandering in No-Man’s Land. But Joey is pursued by his original young master, Albert, who enlists at the age of 16 with the express purpose of finding his beloved horse amid the carnage of the trenches.

War Horse is much more than just a grand puppet show. Nick Stafford’s powerful adaptation of Morpurgo’s novel, ditches the horse’s narrative and tells the story through the human characters. It brilliantly captures the intense relationship that can exist between humans and animals, as well as the waste of life and sheer terror of the First World War. The sight of horses and sword-wielding soldiers charging across no-man’s land into great blasts of machine gun fire, perfectly encapsulates the futility of the conflict.

Though it might seem emotionally manipulative to some to conjure the suffering of war through the agonies of poor animals, it doesn’t feel like that. There is something so noble about these astonishingly lifelike puppets, whose movements are so meticulously caught by their operatives, that you can’t help but submit yourself to the emotional rollercoaster.

Any qualms about adapting the play for smaller auditoriums are mostly dispelled as the curtain rises. It retains much of the original scope it had in its original incarnation, with some minor alterations. The giant gun carriage and enormous black tank are both still here.

War Horse is engaging and emotional from start to end and is beautifully performed by the entire cast. The narrative is film-like as is its accompanying background soundtrack, it is no wonder that it made its way onto the big screen. The emotive music, sung throughout by Scottish folk singer Sally Swanson evokes time and place effectively. It also builds atmosphere and stirs the emotions in a way that should be envied by many musicals.

This is a fantastically imaginative play and remains a real theatrical event. It will put you through the emotional wringer but one can’t recommend it highly enough.

Runs until 5 April 2025 | Image: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg