War Horse Meanings

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On November 6th, I enjoyed a performance of War Horse at the Auditorium Theatre in Rochester. The play was presented by the National Theatre of Great Britain and Bob Boyett. It followed the story of Joey and Albert and their friendship before and through the First World War. Stafford’s production of War Horse showed the power of love and how it can overcome all. In the play, this was especially evident because fate led Joey and Albert back together after they had struggled through so much. The realisticity of the events in the play was conveyed with the help of the projections, puppetry, and the Song Man. Part of the set is a giant banner shaped and designed to look like a piece of paper ripped out of a journal or a letter, probably Albert or Lieutenant Nichols’. Projections were then put onto the banner. By using the projections on the stage, we could see the dates as they happened, special effects like explosions, and even part of the set. For example, the roofs of many of the characters houses were displayed on the screen. Many explosions of grenades and bullets are also shown on the screen set above the stage. This was particularly important at the end when Armistice Day was shown as a projection so that the audience knew Albert and Joey were going home. By giving dates to the actions of each major character, the play was given a sense of time, so the audience saw how long Albert was in France, for example. The puppetry used by the Handstring Puppet Company was creative and clever. Full-sized, lifelike and fully functional puppets were created for this play to resemble horses. This was used instead of the real animals to be easier to handle and a lot easier to control small details like moving your ears at this exact moment. By using the puppets instead of the real animals, it is easier to control how the play goes. This is importance in a play’s success as

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