War Horse

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Travelling from Niagara Falls to Toronto is an easy 1.5 hours along the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and Gardiner Expressway. Add 15 minutes if crossing from the Peace Bridge in Buffalo.

Princess of Wales Theatre plays host to the National Theatre of Great Britain production of "War Horse". At a capacity of 2000 the sight-lines are excellent from every seat in the theatre. David and Ed Mirvish built the theatre in 1993 and showcased Miss Saigon as the first production. This theatre and the other 3 Mirvish owned theatres, along with Winter Garden, Elgin, Toronto Centre for The Arts, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and Four Seasons Centre built in 2006 help make Toronto the largest live theatre centre in North America after New York. If I lived in Toronto I would never want for variety in theatre.

The mood in Act 1 contrasts youthful exuberance with that of the realities of adulthood and the dark secret jealousies only rarely glimpsed upon when we are children. I am unsure if the protagonist is Albert or Joey but, since Albert is human and Joey his loving horse, I will say that Albert is the character most central to the story. It is equally, Albert's devotion and love for the horse and Joey's inimitable spirit that elicits the greatest emotional response from the audience. Alex Furber as Albert Narracott, plays wonderfully an adolescent boy coming of age in a horrific time. His love and devotion to his horse drives him across Europe during the Great War as an underage trooper at a time he should have been at home in Devon with his loving mother Rose and father Ted. It is Ted's jealousy, selfishness and propensity for alcohol that caused Joey to be sold into the service of the British cavalry.

There are many people that intercede and circumstances that occur keeping Joey alive during the many conflagrations of that time. All the while, Albert unknowingly is being drawn closer and closer to his loving Joey. Act 2 depicts the horror of trench warfare, gas attacks and devastation of modern warfare upon troops fighting in a style that was outdated and hopeless. As the years of warfare march by, Albert grows into a man and Joey survives. Patrick Galligan as Friedrich Muller and Addison Holley as the very young Emilie were especially memorable in their roles, as were, Brady Rudy as Ted Narracott, Tamara Bernier-Evans as Rose Narracott and Richard McMillan as the pompous and bullying uncle, Arthur. War Horse might be too dark and sad if it were not for the humour interjected by the fine acting of Ryan Hollyman as Sergeant Fine.

Except for the field battles, the play uses props sparingly and the scenes between Albert and Joey are so sparse with props it causes the audience to focus on the interaction between horse and boy. The puppeteering of the horses Joey and Topthorn is masterful. The horse movements and sounds are so realistic it is difficult to convey the feeling when one sees them on stage. I felt as if I was watching live horses prancing in a paddock or galloping across an open field. Handspring Puppet Company and its master puppeteers have to be commended on their fantastic performances.

The stage at Princess of Wales is among the largest in Canada and the over 50 actors and puppeteers could barely fit during the standing ovation. The ovation was well deserved and anyone seeing this play will soon add it to their list of favourites.

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