War Horse: live theatre on the big screen

The good news is that you don't have to travel to the UK to experience this awesome and epic spectacle, but can experience its magic at Cinema Nouveau when a live filming of the production will be staged nationwide and at Ster-Kinekor Blue Route in Tokai, Cape Town, from Saturday, 12 April for eight shows only.

Nothing beats watching masterful theatre in the comfort of a cinema, allowing you to have an intimate experience and being on stage during the performance, becoming a part of the action and emotions.

Seen by over five million people worldwide since its premiere at the National in 2007, War Horse is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, and follows the powerful story of a young boy called Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, which has been requisitioned for the British Army in World War I. Caught in enemy crossfire, Joey ends up serving on both sides during the war before landing in No Man's Land, while Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home.

A tale of courage, loyalty and friendship

A remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, War Horse features at its heart astonishing life-size puppets by South Africa's ground-breaking Handspring Puppet Company, which bring breathing, galloping horses to thrilling life on stage.

It is sinful to compare the breathtaking stage production to Steven Spielberg's superb film adaptation; both have their rewards and are as different as oranges and apples. The stage production offers details and events that are not in the film and the film adaptation offers unique differences. Both the stage and film production celebrate a magnificent story and allow us to engage emotionally.

It's a miraculous achievement for the Handspring Puppet Company. The movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick will draw you into an emotional experience unlike any before, and when the horses (and the scene-stealing goose) take their bow at curtain call, you will fully understand the standing ovation bestowed on its creators and performers, and in particular puppetry directors Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler.

Adapted by Nick Stafford and presented in association with the Handspring Puppet Company, with sensible direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, this remarkable (and tearful) tale of courage, loyalty and friendship is well supported by the visual design and Paule Constable's exceptional lighting design, which takes you on a journey filled with surrealistic impressionism. Add to this the video design by Rae Smith and 59 Productions, featuring a single sheet of torn paper that brings the story vividly to life, and you have theatre with a heartbeat and soul. There's also the soulful music by Adrian Sutton, performed by John Tams, which contributes magnificently to Joey's courageous and brave journey.

From modest beginnings War Horse has become a part of contemporary culture, a story from a century past that speaks to that which matters to the world right now. It first became a well-loved family book, then an innovative stage play that took audiences by storm, and now it sees another incarnation in its most visceral medium yet, and finally a masterwork captured on film by Steven Speilberg.

The unrivalled symbiotic bond between animals and humans has never been more profound and captured with such discerning enthusiasm and passion. Do whatever you can to experience the National Theatre screening of War Horse. The chances are that you will book your seats for a second, or even third viewing. It's really that good.

War Horse releases on South African screens on Saturday, 12 April for eight screenings only - on 12, 16, 17, 19, 23 and 24 April at 7.30pm and on 13 and 20 April at 2.30pm - at Cinema Nouveau theatres in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, and at Ster-Kinekor Blue Route Mall. The running time of this production is 2hrs 50mins.

For booking information on War Horse, go to www.cinemanouveau.co.za or sterkinekor.mobi, or call the Ticketline on +27 (0)82 16789. Follow on Twitter @nouveaubuzz. You can also download the Ster-Kinekor App on any Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone and Blackberry handset for updates, news and to book from your mobile.

Behind the scenes

It took him 30 years to do it, but War Horse Michael Morpurgo will never regret the day that he followed his dream to write a tale set against the Great War. World War I is perhaps the least-talked-about conflict of the 20th century, leaving in its wake a world forever changed and a generation tasked to rebuild from ashes. For a long time Morpurgo had looked for an original way to write about the war, but it wasn't until he met an aged veteran in a bar that he found his way in; inspiration sparked when he heard the man talk with passion not about his fellow soldiers but about the incredibly heroic horses with which he served.

Like most people, Morpurgo had never given much thought to horses in wartime, but this old soldier opened his eyes to a vast, unexplored world: the bonds between humans and animals that even battle could not tear asunder and that kept so many going when they might have given up. "Here I was listening to this old man who had tears in his eyes talking about a relationship he had with a horse on the Western Front decades ago," the novelist recalled.

"I learned that these horses were doing so much more than simply carrying soldiers or gun carriages. They deeply mattered to people." That initial conversation led Morpurgo into his own personal hunt for research, in which he discovered that a remarkable 1 million horses valiantly went into battle with the British during WWI and only 62 000 animals returned. He learned how vital horses were on all sides of the war, giving soldiers from every country an invisible but common thread. He explored poignant paintings and read historical accounts of how horses sacrificed, suffered and committed acts of bravery - just like their human companions. Through it all, he felt this was a story that needed to be told.

Published in 1982 as a story for young adults, the book was quickly embraced by readers around the world and was a runner-up for the prestigious Whitbread Award. In 2007, when the novel was adapted into a mesmerising stage play at London's National Theatre, audiences went mad for it and for its themes of human-animal friendship, the power of endurance and the way hope for the future stays with us when all appears lost.

Read more at www.writingstudio.co.za/page1037.html