[NEohioPAL] Review of "War Horse" at PlayhouseSquare

[Bob Abelman]

Nay-sayers be warned: 'War Horse' on tour is a wonderful ride

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 4/12/13

 

 

It is rare when a stage production features the euthanizing of a mortally wounded puppet.  Rarer still is when that act generates an audible, heartfelt gasp from the audience, which it does during the national tour of "War Horse" at PlayhouseSquare's Palace Theatre.

 

This 2011 Tony Award-winning play (Best Play, Best Direction, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design) successfully turns Michael Morpurgo's children's novel about a young man and his mount into a deeply moving, theatrically innovative tale about the horrors of World War I. 

 

At the outbreak of the war, Joey and more than a million other British horses are sold to the cavalry and shipped to France to help fight the Germans.  While all but 65,000 are cut down by modern wartime technology, including Gatling guns and barbed wire, Joey is caught behind enemy lines and separated from his cavalry unit.  Concerned, 16 year old Albert enlists and embarks on a heroic mission to find his friend and bring him back to the small family farm in Devon, England.


The previously mentioned gasp is but one of many releases of raw emotion generated-no, purposefully, precisely and painstakingly coerced-by playwright Nick Stafford and this production company.  It does this by pushing all the right buttons at all the right times.

 

For instance, "War Horse" lulls its audience into a state of complacency and emotional vulnerability by unfolding as if we were children being told a bedtime story.  

 

The play offers a gentle narrator in the form of a roaming minstrel (John Milosich) and musician (Megan Loomis), who add bits of sober, lyrical commentary through song while weaving in and out of the action.  The passage of time and the changing of location are creatively depicted as handwritten drawings and simple animations that appear on an enormous, suspended page torn from a book.  Rae Smith's bare, minimalistic set design-embellished by Paule Constable's dramatic lighting, Christopher Shutt's sound and Bihjan Shelbani's sensitive direction-creates dream-like impressions of the characters and the world in which they live.

 

These characters are portrayed by a cast of very talented actors who seem to be living and breathing this tale and, by doing so, suck the audience into their world for the duration of the production.  Particularly strong performances are turned in by Alex Morf as young Albert, Lavita Shaurice as Emilie, a little French girl who befriends Joey, and Cleveland's own Andrew May as the German officer who rescues Joey from imminent disaster.  

 

Adding to the drama is a huge ensemble that occasionally marches in place in unison, moves in slow motion amidst mist and backlighting, and engages in harmonious, triumphant singing- all of which are well-worn theatrical devices that serve to simmer, stir and then boil emotions.  And it all works.

 

Of course, nothing is better at tugging at the heartstrings than animals on stage which, in "War Horse," takes the form of marvelous, life-size horse puppets created by the Handspring Puppet Company of Cape Town and choreographed by Toby Sedgwick.  Each of these sophisticated, transparent contraptions requires three perfectly coordinated puppeteers to fully replicate the complex equine movement and expression of a real mare.  The illusion is so impressive that it is captivating.  It is so captivating that by the time the "Old Yeller" moment surfaces, the audience is an emotional and psychological train wreck.  

 

Hence, the gasps at the muppet mercy-killing.

 

Those who don't like sentimentality in their entertainment or who are self-conscious about emoting in public are in for a very long evening.  For others, "War Horse" is a technically amazing, thoroughly engaging, emotional rollercoaster not to be missed.

 

"War Horse" continues through April 21 at PlayhouseSquare's Palace Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $10 to $110, visit www.playhousesquare.com.
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