Having sadly missed the previous run of National Theatre’s production of War Horse, I was pleased to hear that the production would be returning to London, this time at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. I booked my tickets in February for a November performance. Although this seemed very far away at the time, it came around so quickly. I also decided to book front row tickets because I am quite short and didn’t want to risk anyone blocking my view, and luckily these seats were fantastic because the stage was low so there was no neck strain involved!
Check out my incredible view below (I couldn’t get any closer!):
Before the show, I grabbed some food at Boxpark which is less than a five-minute walk away. There are lots of food stalls here offering a selection of cuisines, so this is a good place to check out if you’re in the area and you are not feeling restaurants or McDonalds.
In terms of the theatre itself, it is relatively new and was actually built within the former Fountain studios that existed there, and you can see this when you go there. It is not like the London theatres I am used to with their old décor, looking more like a TV set than a theatre, but this didn’t make it a bad theatre in anyway; it was just different. The staff were also very helpful and attentive.
Seeing the production on Remembrance Sunday felt very important given that the play as a whole left you reflecting on war itself and the lives lost during conflict, both human lives and animal lives, which should not be forgotten. It is a powerful story based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel centred on the First World War and the love of a boy for his horse. This horse has the power to unite people on both sides of the war, and that is a sentiment that I feel is very powerful.
The best part of the production has to be the life size horses used and operated by puppeteers. Both the props themselves and the puppeteers controlling these were fantastic, who imitated not only the emotions of the horse, but also the sounds of the horse, whilst moving like a horse and galloping across the stage. These puppeteers were also great at keeping all movements in time and honestly they performed brilliantly, so brilliantly that it was like actual horses were on the stage. Other animals included puppet birds to depict the season, as well as a goose who had little humorous moments throughout the play. The actors and actresses themselves performed very strongly. Other staging aspects included a projection screen above the stage, which featured sketches of landscapes and stormy seas and dark images of the battlefields, in order to convey the setting or time passing. The battlefield and brutality of death was further emphasised by the use of guns that made a very loud sound, probably very loud because we were front row but very effective. They were so very loud that many people even jumped up in surprise each time it was fired. The stage layout itself didn’t change very much, and there weren’t too many props used, but with the projector and the props that were used, these were overall effective in conveying the scenes.
If you ever get a chance to see the National Theatre production of War Horse, I would highly recommend it. The one at The Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre had its last performance on the 23rd of November, but if you are interested in the other productions being performed at this venue then take a look here.