War Horse

Making Horses Gallop and Audiences Cry

By PATRICK HEALY

LONDON — On the bare black stage of the New London Theater, a seven-foot-tall horse breaks into a gallop, round and round, until he pauses for a breath, his flanks heaving lightly. A human approaches; the horse, Topthorn, lifts his head, flexes his ears and shakes his tail. His right front hoof paws the floor, as if to charge.

Topthorn is not a real horse, of course, but an intricately constructed puppet in the hit West End play “War Horse.” He and the play’s other main horse puppet, named Joey, are central characters, and they are as much living, breathing and emotionally aware beings as any award-winning actor here today. (The horses’ creators won an Olivier Award for design.)

The play, adapted by Nick Stafford from a novel by Michael Morpurgo, is about a British boy of little means, Albert, who becomes Joey’s owner and best friend, only to lose him when Joey is sold to a British officer to ride into battle in World War I. The loss shatters Albert and leads him to enlist, under-age, so he can fight in Europe as well and maybe find his beloved Joey.