Only Remembered for What We Have Done

By Jonathan Jones

Thursday, June 30, 2011

And if the gods of theatre looked down upon the earth and said, "Let there be theatre," War Horse is just the show they imagined. In the vein of a total production, this work comes together in such a way that no one attribute can be excised and still allow the work to maintain its full brilliance. From the puppetry which is incomparable, to the music which shames many a musical theatre piece, the work is a testament to all that is possible in live theatre. Joey, the war horse, as it were, is symbolic of every man or woman who ever went off to war. His life journey as he learns to trust his keeper, be fed and groomed, ridden, and put through the paces of work life mirrors that of all mankind. And when he is sent off to participate in someone else's war, our heart brakes for his loved ones he must leave behind. Never forgotten, his most trusted keeper has one advantage over many a parent of a service member: he can follow his boy off to war and fight to the death to try to bring him home.

I cannot say anything else about the work lest I destroy all the magic for anyone who has yet to see this masterpiece. I was a weeping mess one year ago, and I weeped once more tonight. I rarely pay full price to go to the theatre, but this really is worth every dime. RUN to the theatre and experience the magic of this artistic triumph; a love letter to the veterans of our most horrific world wars.

Here is a montage of clips from The Lincoln Center production. I'm not sure the American cast is as good as the British version, but still appear breathtaking, nonetheless:

And here is the trailer from Steven Spielberg's film (which looks nowhere near as brilliant as the stage production):

In London, the National Theatre production continues at the New London Theatre. Tickets are available through the production website at: www.warhorselondon.nationaltheatre.org.uk/

In New York, the production is located at the Vivienne Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. Tickets can be obtained at: www.lct.org/showMain.htm?id=199