Sometimes, when you get an invitation to a show, you know it’s going to be good. You may know its reputation or have been told good things about the production by friends that have seen it. So, when I was invited to review War Horse at the New Wimbledon Theatre, I already knew this was probably going to be good. An idea that was reinforced by the poster outside the theatre which had a huge number of five-star reviews on it.
In a village in Devon, an auction is taking place. Two men are bidding on a young foal (Head – Eloise Beaumont-Wood, Heart – Clara Lioe & Hind – Jordan Paris). The men are Arthur (Gareth Radcliffe) and Ted Narracott (Karl Haynes), brothers as unlike each other as it’s possible to be and are bitter rivals. Arthur wants to give the foal to his son Billy (Haydn Burke) while Ted’s motive for bidding is simply to stop Arthur from winning. As the bidding goes higher, neither brother gives an inch until eventually, using the money meant to pay for his farm’s mortgage, Ted wins and triumphantly takes the foal home to his horrified wife Rose (Jo Castleton) and son Albert (Tom Sturgess) who immediately falls in love with the foal – which he names Joey – and promises to raise Joey and train him for sale. As the years pass, Joey grows into a full-size hunter (Head – Rianna Ash, Heart – Chris Milford & Hind – Samuel Parker) and the bond between him and Albert becomes unbreakable and despite the promise to train Joey for sale, Albert swears they will never be parted. And then, war breaks out and Ted sells Joey to the army. Lieutenant Nicholls (Chris Williams), who often sketched Albert riding Joey, promises Albert that he will personally look after the fine horse. Being too young to enlist, Albert must trust the officer to look after Joey and safely return him to Devon. It won’t be long as everyone knows the war will be all over by Christmas.
Based on the book of the same name by writer Michael Morpurgo, adapted for stage by Nick Stafford, War Horse has an amazing reputation for being unforgettable theatrical experience and, if I’m I was slightly apprehensive at seeing such a highly praised, award-winning show. Would it live up to my expectations? But my fears were groundless as Director Tom Morris and Revival Director Katie Henry have taken the show and made a production that is, without going overboard, simply awesome in every respect. The writing is great and compelling, tasking the audience from the bucolic world of rural Devon through to the horrors of the World War one trenches, using the story of human and animal protagonists to examine every aspect of life. At its heart are Albert and Joey, and the love between man and horse has never been portrayed so vividly and there is a real chemistry between Tom Sturgess and Joey. Sturgess brilliantly portrays young Albert willing to sacrifice everything for his horse. He brings love, happiness, anguish and despair to the role making Albert a character you really want to root for. There are different actors portraying/working the foal, Joey and the other major horse Topthorn (Head – Tom Quinn, Heart – Michael Jean-Marian & Hind – Michael Larcombe) at each performance and I have put the names of the puppeteers at the performance I saw, and it is amazing seeing them on stage. You don’t forget the actors are there but they become a part of the horse they are portraying. Simply fantastic. With two leads like Albert and Joey, it’s easy to overlook the rest of the large cast but in fact they are all first rate, with some playing multiple and very diverse roles to great effect.
The play is not subtle in being anti-war, and when you get a squadron of British cavalry charging at full pelt at machine gun toting Germans, you can understand why. Interestingly, while that scene is amazing visually, it really stirs the emotions and many a tear was shed as the inevitable result of this short-sighted military strategy was played out in front of us.
Overall, War Horse is one of those shows that totally lives up to its reputation. It’s a unique piece of theatre that really has to be seen to be believed. The standing ovation for the actors, human, equine and the world’s cheekiest goose was well deserved and went on for a long time. As we left, along with the majority of the audience, we were wiping tears from our eyes and animatedly discussing the amazing experience we had gone through.
Review by Terry Eastham
War Horse is an unforgettable theatrical experience which takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France. Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized horses by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.
Rianna Ash – Joey / Topthorn Head
Alexander Ballinger – Captain Fridrich Müller / Allan
Eloise Beaumont-Wood – Joey as a Foal
Ike Bennett – David Taylor / Thomas Bone
Haydn Burke – Billy Narracott / Sergeant Klebb
Sophie Cartman – Matron Callaghan
Jo Castleton – Rose Narracott
Owen Dagnall – Alternate Albert Narracott / Geordie
Felicity Donnelly- Joey / Topthorn Hind
Tom Gilbert – Sergeant Fine (Movement and Puppetry Captain)
Thomas Goodridge – Joey / Topthorn Hind
Karl Haynes – Ted Narracott / Brandt
Robin Hayward – Joey / Topthorn Heart
Danny Hendrix – Veterinary Officer Martin
Michael Larcombe – Joey / Topthorn Hind
Matthew Lawrence – Joey / Topthorn Head
Madeleine Leslay – Paluette / Sarah Carter
Clara Lioe – Emilie / Joey as a Foal
Damian Lynch – Chapman Carter / Colonel Strauss
Lewis McBean – Joey / Topthorn Heart
Chris Milford – Joey / Topthorn Heart (Co-Fight Captain)
Christopher Naylor – Private Klausen / Priest
Jordan Paris – Joey as a Foal (Co-Fight Captain)
Anne-Marie Piazza – Nell Allan / Private Schnabel (Song Captain)
Tea Poldervaart – Joey / Topthorn Head
Tom Quinn – Joey / Topthorn Head
Gareth Radcliffe – Arthur Narracott / Sergeant Thunder
Daniel Rock – Captain Stewart / Ludwig
Simon Stanhope – Manfred
Tom Sturgess – Albert Narracott
Gun Suen – Joey / Topthorn Hind
Sally Swanson – The Singer
Lucy Thorburn – Jenny Bone / Nurse Annie Gilbert
Chris Williams – Lieutenant Nicholls / Doctor Schweyk (Voice Captain)
Michael Morpurgo – Author
Nick Stafford – Adaptor
Tom Morris – Director
Katie Henry – Revival Director
Rae Smith – Designer/Drawings
Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company – Puppetry Design/Fabrication
Rob Casey – Lighting Designer
Toby Sedgwick – Director of Movement and Horse Choreography
Matthew Forbes – Puppetry Director
Nicol Scott and Ben Pearcy for 69 – Animation and Projection Design
Adrian Sutton – Music
John Tams – Songmaker
Christopher Shutt – Sound Designer
Jill Green CDG – Casting Director
Dom Coyote – Musical Director
Carol Fairlamb – Voice Coach
Rebecca Daltry – Dialect Coach
Paul Benzing – Fight Director
WAR HORSE
New Wimbledon Theatre, 5 to 16 August 2025
Tour continues to 8 November 2025
Book Tickets for New Wimbledon Theatre
