Warhorse etches itself in the memory. Sixteen-year-old Albert, leaves rural innocence to follow his beloved horse, Joey, to the agonies of World War One – the horrors of the western front are seen so disarmingly through the experiences of a horse.
Evocative and surreal, the sparse sets allow scenes to flow with the speed of the audience’s imagination. Sketches projected above the stage become a floating cloud, a horizon or a barbed no mans land.
Yet the genius is in these vast, magnificent horses that are so totally enthralling. From the first heaving breaths of Joey as a foal, it’s impossible to take your eyes off him. Human puppeteers soon fade into the background as these inanimate characters take life – pathos and exhilaration in equal parts. (GW)
Until May 12, Lyric Theatre, Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont, $89-135, 1300 795 26, ticketmaster.com.au
BY GREG WEBSTER
