War Horse at the Straz: It's magical

Joey comes into Albert's life after his father buys the foal in an auction, a purchase the family really can't afford. In order to keep the horse, Albert must train him to plow, and the process is magical to watch. Like Albert, I fell in love with Joey immediately. So did the little girl next to me, who was hysterically crying at the end of the first act when Joey gets sold to fight in the war. (Though the play is based on a children’s book, the Straz Center’s website does recommend the play for ages 10 and up.)

The second half of the play, which takes place mainly in Calais in northern France, follows Joey through the war and Albert's efforts to find him after enlisting. Not only does the puppetry allow you to suspend belief, but so do the sets, often just a door and a window to depict a house or a cast member holding a long pole to portray a fence. Similarly, it's easy to accept that characters are speaking languages foreign to each other even though they're speaking in English. It's a little hard to explain, but you’ll just have to suspend your own belief and take my word for it. I'm not quite sure how good Alex Morf, playing Albert, or any of other actors were; I was too enamored and focused on the puppetry.
So… I might have to go back just to pay attention to the human actors — and I wouldn't mind spending another 145 minutes to do so. Seeing War Horse again would be worth it.

Through Sun. May 5; 7:30 p.m. Thurs, 8 p.m. Fri., 2 and 8 pm. Sat., 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sun.; Straz Center, 1010 N Macinnes Pl.; $44.50 and up with group, student and military discounts available; 813-229-7827