Washington Post - Highly Recommended
"... The youngest of theatergoers will find some of “War Horse” too intense. Little is left to the imagination by the original directors Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris —whose work has been re-created for the tour by Bijan Sheibani —in the sights and sounds of trench warfare, and the brutal treatment of horse and human alike. For the rest of the family, though, “War Horse” is the kind of event that can awaken the consciousness to a surprising wealth of genius in live theater, the sort that will have kids —and even some adults —dying to know what else they have been missing."
DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended
"... In the midst of war and a future uncertain comes a story of bravery, loyalty and companionship as The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts proudly presents the National Theatre of Great Britain and Bob Boyett’s production of War Horse. Winner of five Tony Awards in 2011 —including Best Play — this incredible stage spectacular, based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, will gallop with ease into the hearts of all who see it. With breath-taking puppetry, stirring music, and stellar acting this show is sure to win audience approval without a doubt."
Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended
"... It doesn't matter if you've read the book or if you caught last year's Steven Spielberg film or not -- the National Theatre of Great Britain's superb production is uniquely epic. It's still the same riveting story of a young boy and his beloved thoroughbred, separated by sale to the British army for service in Calais, France, and spanning six long, hard years of war. Elegantly adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, here we watch as our four-legged hero is jockeyed back and forth between both sides of the war, a silent witness to flashing bayonets, barbed wire and bloodshed. Meanwhile, his loyal friend Albert (Andrew Veenstra), who is still underage, unwittingly enlists in the army, determined to find him."
MetroWeekly - Highly Recommended
"...Capturing everything that is big, unpredictable and yet graceful in horses, one can only imagine what it took for Toby Sedgwick, director of movement and choreography, to research and then translate this essence of horse into the mechanical beings that fill the War Horse stage. These horses move, react, think with authenticity."
WeLoveDC - Recommended
"... you don’t go to War Horse to watch the humans. You go to see the puppetry and to imagine a world in which we treat animals with the compassion and respect they deserve. The backdrop could be a factory farm just as easily as WWI. No matter what the era, humans are the ones who choose brutality even when avoidable. We shame and abuse creatures around us and think very little of it, while the animals in our homes and on our farms continually reach out in loyalty and friendship."
Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended
"... You see War Horse for the war horses, though, and they are majestic things indeed, cleverly designed and operated with minute attention to the details of how the real creature listens and breathes and moves. And feels—for make no mistake, this is a story about not just animal intelligence, but animal emotion, and it’s utterly convincing on both accounts."
Washingtonian - Recommended
"... It’s the horses, not the humans, that make this show. Handspring’s shockingly lifelike puppets breathe, twitch their ears, and rustle their tails under the fascinating and seamless control of small teams of puppeteers—generally three hidden-in-plain-sight puppeteers per horse. The actors who operate the full-size animals get top billing in the show’s program, and with good cause: Each authentic movement communicates not only breathtaking realism (whoever came up with these contraptions did some serious horse studying), but raw emotional expression, as well. Scenes that featured just the horses and no other actors surprisingly felt the most powerful."
BrightestYoungThings - Highly Recommended
"... While the narrative arc of the story is fairly simple, what makes War Horse remarkable is its inspired puppetry and design. Sets are deconstructed and imaginative: steel pipes come to represent ravaged ships, a door frame stands in for a house, and wooden beams held vertically and horizontally become buildings and horse pens. Above center stage floats a large scrim, onto which projections subtly provide historical and geographical context as the story progresses across time and throughout a war-ravaged England, France, and Switzerland. Exposed lights hanging just below the scrim and heavy fog create the illusion of deep layers—allowing for the ensemble and the horses to make magnificent and seamless entrances and exits. These features effortlessly transport the audience from their seats to England during the height of World War I—searing into our minds images that are at once magical and haunting. It is no surprise that, in addition to Best Play, War Horse also won the 2011 Tony Awards for Best Lighting Design of a Play and Best Scenic Design of a Play. War Horse is simply visual design at its finest."
MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended
"...The Brits have been responsible for a lot of theatrical imports. Such mega musicals as Phantom of The Opera and Miss Saigon at least for me turned the musical theatre into a spectacle that relied on special effects and not on storytelling. The National Theatre of Great Britain's production of War Horse has redeemed London's reputation by telling an epic story in a very simple form. With virtually no scenery yet powerful acting and the spellbinding puppetry of Handspring Puppet Company, WarHorse is one of those shows that you simply should not miss."
