It's hard not to be wowed by the stage magic of "War Horse." But
if you like your spectacle in service of story -- rather than
the other way around -- you might find this undeniably skilled
and handsome piece of theater lacks the very heart it so
conspicuously wears on its sleeve.  Let's start with the good:
"War Horse" -- a tale of how an English lad and his horse get
swept up in the horrors of the first World War -- is a
stunningly gorgeous production. The title character is a
chestnut stallion named Joey, created by the South African
performance ensemble Handspring Puppet Company.  So big in
stature and so nuanced in articulation that he has to be
animated by three puppeteers, Joey is the undisputed star of the
show, and probably its most fully realized character. Unlike the
creations in, say, Disney's "Lion King," Joey is not
anthropomorphized -- he's all animal, though with a spirit and a
strength of will that invite comparison to his two-legged
brethren.  But the design team didn't stop its majestic wor