So I will admit that I am an overly-emotional person, and I can find ways to sympathize with anyone and anything. War Horse is full of memorable characters who face loss, loneliness, hopelessness, and obstacles that continuously stop them from reaching their goals--goals usually associated with returning home to someone, or with someone. This musical is set at a good pace, sometimes feeling a bit dragged out, but ultimately getting back into the story. Thus the audience is able to develop a close connection with the people and animals. The animals act so life-like in the flicks of their tails or ears, or in the way they extend their heads towards their human caretakers. These animals provide humour in addition to tugging at my heartstrings: I loved the goose's presence in any scene because it was endearing, and I loved the portrayal of the close bond between Joey the horse and his young master, Albert. The visuals are simple and effective, and I greatly admired the smooth transitioning between scenes.
The life-sized puppets are one of many highlights of this show. I am not a horse expert so to my untrained eyes the horses acted perfectly realistically, save for the dramatic flair. It was easy for me to forget the three puppeteers controlling different parts of the horse's body, but I chose to remind myself to look at their motions. Their dedication to this art made me want to acknowledge all that they had to do to make us suspend out disbelief.
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