The stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s much-loved book, War Horse has had quite the theatrical journey. The last time I watched it was when it transferred from the National Theatre to the Gillian Lynne back in 2009, with Kit Harrington playing, the lead, Albert.
Following a national tour in 2024 and 2025, it is now back at its original NT home where it premiered in 2007.
The DD finished reading Morpurgo’s War Horse last year and promptly used her pocket money to buy the acclaimed author’s full collection. As you can imagine watching the stage adaptation was a real half-term treat – thanks National Theatre. As a true fan of the original text, any omissions were obvious to the keen eye of an11-year-old. However, Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Morpurgo’s 1982 book, for the most part stays true. But Joey’s white cross was missing from his forehead, where as in the book, it was one of the reasons he was special when they were selling him. Zoe, his horse pal was also missing, she was Joey’s lifeline at the start of the book, and she was the only reason Joey went to auction because he trusted her. When Joey went to war, Zoe stayed behind with the family because she was too old.
Omissions aside, overall, we both were captivated by the depiction of the ‘cool’ horses and the sorrowful albeit beautiful telling of the harsh realities of war through the eyes of war horse, Joey and his companion, Albert Narracott (Tom Sturgess).
There are 12 performers on rotation playing Joey and Topthorn, on the performance we attended, Handspring Puppet Company’s incredible horse teams were
- Joey: Rianna Ash (Head); Rafe Young (Heart) and Micheal Larcombe (Hind)
- Topthorn: Matthew Lawrence (Head) Lewis McBean (Heart) and Felicity Donnelly (Hind)
- Joey as a Foal: Jordan Paris (Head) Anita Adam Gaby (Heart) Eloise Beaumont-Wood (Hind)
Directed by Tom Morris who originally co-directed with Marianne Elliot, War Horse is set in World War I, we see bunting in red, white and blue with a minimalist set in the round. There is heavy and effective use of projection by 59 Studio as we go through different scenes, and Rob Casey’s lighting make the stage seem much vaster than it is. Brilliantly depicting battlefields from the Somme to the English countryside to graveyards – it makes for an immersive experience and modernises the play, broadens appeal to younger audienes and brings the stalk realities of war to the foreground.
With the world being in the state that it’s in War Horse is timely and sadly a reflection of the current climate of tension. The weight of global atrocities cannot be ignored as we watch through a lens that is not too far from actualities.
If you’ve not seen War Horse, it comes highly recommended for older kids and adults as a moving, creative and necessary piece of historical theatre.
