War Horse Gallops Into the Hearts of San Franciscans

Sitting in a quiet theater in San Francisco, you are quickly transported to Devon, England in 1914, just before World War I begins. The audience is first met with a melodic song as spring birds fly in the sky and then appears a spirited young foal running in the fields.

The foal, later to become the war horse, is purchased by Ted Narracott in an auction war with his brother for 39 francs. The foal is brought home to Narracott's family, Ted's son Albert cares for the horse and names him Joey. In their first interaction Albert and Joey bond through a call-and-answer signal that gives each other comfort. The pair is then ripped from each other when Mr. Narracott sells Joey to the army. Albert then enlists in the army to find his friend and bring him safely home.

The most extraordinary aspect of the stage play is the puppeteering. A couple of years ago, I saw the Lion King: The Musical, which had a lot of puppets to represent the various animals. War Horse is on a different level. The choreographed movements make the horses come to life, to the point that you forget there are puppeteers underneath the puppets. Through the amazing puppeteering the horses aren't just animals, but become characters as much as the humans. The audience gets a sense of how beautiful horses are and how much personality they possess.

War Horse is brilliantly put together and makes you really care about what happens to Albert and Joey. If you are looking for a heartwarming story and are an animal-lover this play is a must see. It shows the bond that many of us make with animals. It's that feeling of love we feel for an animal when our pets become more than just pets and become part of our family.

War Horse originally a children's book has now been turned into a successful play, adapted by Nick Stafford and a movie, directed by Steven Spielberg. This magical story about a Albert the 16 year-old boy and Joey, his horse was first published in 1982 by Michael Murpurgo. The play first debuted in England in 2007 before making it's way across the pond. It won 5 Tony awards including Best Play in 2011.

War Horse is currently playing at the Curran Theater in San Francisco, CA until September 6th, evening performances begin at 8pm and matinees begin at 2pm.