War Horse

From Tues 11 Mar View Venues, Dates & Times
War Horse

Described as ‘the theatrical event of the decade’ when it opened in the West End in 2009, War Horse has continued to garner great praise in the ensuing years. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s hugely popular 1982 novel, it tells the story of a young man named Albert, whose horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France at the beginning of the First World War. Joey’s subsequent adventures lead to him finding himself alone in a no man's land. But Albert is in no mood to give up on his beloved companion, and sets out to find him and take him home to Devon...

The National Theatre’s award-winning stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel, War Horse, makes a welcome return to the Midlands this month. Featuring music, song, and some of the best puppetry you’re ever likely to witness, the production tells the powerful story of a young man named Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, as they find themselves caught up in the horrors of the Great War...

The stage play War Horse revolutionised the way theatre used puppetry by creating realistic and life-sized animals and placing them at the centre of the drama. Premiered in 2007, the show, based on the bestselling novel by Michael Morpurgo, tells the story of Albert and his beloved horse Joey - both of whom have to leave behind a farm in Devon for the trenches of World War One.

Adapted by Nick Stafford, the National Theatre production features more than 20 puppets created by South African company Handspring Puppets. These include Joey and fellow horse Topthorn, which are each powered by three people - one in the head, one at the heart and one at the hind.

And while it’s no mean feat, being a horse puppeteer is also great fun, says Welsh-born actor Michael Larcombe, who is one of a team of people playing the hind of both Joey and Topthorn, in the current touring production of the show.

“I wanted to be part of the global phenomenon which is War Horse,” explains Michael. “I had a little play in the horse in the first audition, and it was just amazing to see the craftsmanship of the puppets and how the horses work. It’s just gorgeous.”

Michael had previously undertaken puppetry roles in a number of other shows. As well as performing as lemurs and monkeys in Madagascar, he also formed part of the Aslan puppet team in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, which showed at Birmingham Rep across Christmas 2023.

War Horse, though, takes things to a whole new level.

“The puppeteers have two weeks of puppetry school before the actors come in for main rehearsals, and there is a lot of learning,” recalls Michael who began the tour last summer. “And there’s a lot of research into all kinds of things, like the sounds horses make and their different gaits, to make sure the movement is authentic. We also went on a little excursion to the King’s Household Cavalry, just outside Hyde Park, and spent a day with the military horses there. We got to observe them and groom them a little bit and understand more about horses from the military point of view.

“And you can carry on learning. In January, the tour was in Woking, and the place I was living was right next door to a field where there were two horses. So I could observe them and think ‘I might try that tonight.’”

The tour has four teams of three puppeteers rotating to play both Joey and Topthorn.

“We all contribute to the personality of the horses. The two horses are very different; they both had very different upbringings. Topthorn was born into the military, so he’s had military training. He is used to gunfire and loud noise and those sort of things, so he’s a lot more stoic and rigid. That influences how we portray him.

“Joey is a half-thoroughbred/half-draft horse, so has the personality of both. He’s bought at auction and then grows up at Albert’s farm, where he’s used as a riding horse to begin with. Then he’s forced into having to plough and work on the farm, which is something you wouldn’t expect of that sort of horse, so he has a more rugged upbringing.

“Joey looks up to Topthorn, they become very close, and Joey gets a lot of how to deal with the war noises from him. Joey is a very strong, rambunctious horse, so although he hasn’t been around that environment, he settles to it quite quickly because he has to.”

Made primarily from cane, aluminium, leather and mesh, the horses are life-sized. Measuring about eight feet in length, they are 10 feet tall and weigh around 40 to 50kg. Although the puppetry roles are physically demanding, Michael says the team receive great support from the tour company.

“They are fantastic. Even as far back as the auditions, they gave us a physiotherapy session to make sure there was nothing that would cause any issues using the horses. Then, being cast in it, we use a physiotherapy company we are affiliated with, and they give us all an individualised plan. We are really well looked after. You are going to get tired or have sore muscles doing this every day, but actually your body gets used to it very quickly.”

War Horse is the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre. It originally  spent two seasons at the National before opening at the New London Theatre in March 2009.  Since then, the show has been seen in around 100 cities worldwide, with productions on New York’s Broadway, in Toronto and Berlin. With touring productions in the UK & Ireland, North America, the Netherlands and Belgium, it has played to audiences of more than eight million people worldwide and won in excess of 25 major awards.

For Michael, the key to its success is in the relationship between Albert and Joey.

“At the heart of the show, there’s so much love and hope and friendship, and the theme of perseverance. People really resonate with that. It’s set in the First World War, so a very specific time, but I think friendship and hope are universal. You meet these characters at the beginning, you go through this really epic, tumultuous journey with them, and you really want them to get to the end and get back together.

“I also think it’s the fact that you are seeing this journey through the eyes of the horse; people really connect with that. It’s not the kind of thing you would normally see on stage.”

And, he says, audiences - whether they’re new to War Horse or returning to see it again - are in for a real treat: “I don’t think there’s a reason not to see the show. Why wouldn’t you want to see a gorgeous play with wonderful music and wonderful actors telling this story of friendship and love and perseverance? And you’ll also see some gorgeous puppetry, if I do say so myself!”

War Horse shows at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent from Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 March, and then at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 22 March

By Diane Parkes


on Mon, 24 Feb 2025

Last night saw the phenomenal National Theatre production of War Horse arrive at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, and to say it was a memorable evening is simply not enough - it was more of a visceral, emotional experience of theatrical excellence. Absolutely stunning in every aspect of narrative and imagery, it is no wonder that the late Queen Elizabeth II cited the play as one of her favourite stage productions.

Based on the much-loved novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse tells the story of a boy, and his horse caught up in the real-life horrors of World War One. The story of how the original book came into being is also a tale worth telling. Morpurgo encountered a local villager where he lived in rural Devon and that man, called Wilf Ellis, recited his personal experiences of being a young soldier in the Yeomanry during World War One. It was from that living testimony that War Horse evolved.

1914 is the year when the peaceful Devon lives of both Albert, played by Tom Sturgess, and his horse Joey, are changed forever in the dark foreboding era which will give rise to the carnage and barbarism inflicted on so many young men and horses at that time. The play develops from the beautiful bucolic relationship between a boy and his equine friend to a story of intense challenge and courage, set against the background of fear and death in the theatre of war. 

This National Theatre production is so powerfully staged in every aspect, that it inevitably impacts the audience in an experientially dramatic way - it is both incredibly emotional and captivating to watch. The visuals, the puppetry and the narrative all combine to engage the audience from the start. The show is directed by Tom Morris, with revival director Kate Henry, and the high calibre of the production is clear throughout.

The play begins with young Albert being trusted with raising the young foal Joey, in the quiet countryside of rural England, at a time when life passed more slowly, and where family and community were intertwined in the daily activities of farming and simple living. All goes well until Albert’s father sells Joey to the Cavalry for the war effort and for his own greed, and the poor horse is shipped to France to be immersed in the full horrors of the battlefield. Broken-hearted, Albert enlists in the army (even though he’s underage) in the hope that he may embark on a quest to find Joey and bring him home. 

There is a real pathos to the play - all those young men who enlisted and thought the war would be short-lived could have no conception of what the reality was going to be. The play does portray the true picture of conflict, not only in relation to the devastation of war, but also the human stories of compassion and friendship in the field of battle.  Throughout the play, the audience wonders if Albert will succeed in finding his beloved Joey, against all odds, and it is testament to the power of hope and fate that ultimately delivers destiny.  

The tremendous cast of actors involved in War Horse bring the story to life on stage, but the awe-inspiring element of the production is without doubt the incredible puppetry, created by the National Theatre in association with the award-winning Handspring Puppet Company. Incredibly,  the audience has the capacity to think they are watching real horses. This is down to the mastery of moulding the imagination to believe in the idea, not only through the puppetry, but the narrative, the music, the lighting and the visuals.  As such, War Horse involves puppetry at its very best.

For a truly outstanding theatrical experience to remember, a visit to see War Horse at the Regent Theatre is not to be missed.


5 Stars on Tue, 04 Mar 2025

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