Be it their gait, their attitude, or their sheer physical presence, there is something about horses that enraptures an audience. Even long after their time on screens big and small, names like Black Beauty, Silver, and Artax resound in our collective consciousness. Real-life legends such as Big Ben, Secretariat, and Seabiscuit do the same.

And so has happened with Joey, the hero of the celebrated West End hit War Horse. Adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s novel by playwright Nick Stafford, the story of a boy so close to his horse that he follows it into battle during World War I is taking over the world. Officially opening last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre with an all-Canadian cast, the thoroughbred is now the hottest thing on four legs in Toronto. That’s a feat arguably more impressive than his show-named predecessors, because without a living, breathing body to pull your heartstrings, Joey’s got pulleys, a wood frame, and three actors controlling his gears.

While the film version of War Horse had a Steven Spielberg credit, an Oscar nomination and a star named Benedict Cumberbatch in its favour, the theatrical production’s groundbreaking use of puppetry is responsible for its buzz. Made by Handspring Puppet Company in South Africa, the striking creations evoke animal characters on the stage like no others have before. These horses (and sparrows, and crows, and a goose) have no human qualities–they don’t speak, think, sing, dance, or react in any way unnatural to the animal. Visually stunning as well as realistic, the audience inevitably feels the same admiration for the puppets as they would towards a live horse, even yearning for the next time they rear, buck, or gallop.

If the puppets weren’t so compelling, the friendship between Joey and his owner, 16-year-old Albert (Alex Furber) would seem false, effectively destroying the emotional appeal of the story. But Furber reins this sweet relationship in from getting overly sentimental. On the other hand, Patrick Galligan’s German officer, who ends up caring for Joey during the war, slides in and out of melodrama as often as he does with his accent.

Though family-friendly, War Horse is not a fun play. Its battle scenes are dark and frightening, thanks to Christopher Shutt’s sound and Rae Smith’s sets. But Paule Constable’s lighting uses spotlights and light/dark contrasts to create images like nothing I’ve seen, and those puppets also affect the atmosphere of each act, the first decidedly lighter than the second. While a territorial goose gets laughs with his honks and waddles, skeletal war-weary horses nearing death are the stuff of nightmares. 

There are certainly some Hollywood moments within the story (such as a slow-motion argument between Joey and his battle companion, Topthorn), but Mirvish’s War Horse is not simply a live version of Spielberg’s film. It marks a significant leap in stagecraft and live performance, and its hype is warranted.

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Carly Maga is an arts writer in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter at @RadioMaga.