It is deeply moving, visually extraordinary and performed with a level of craft that makes everything else feel small by comparison.
I came to the show knowing very little. I hadn’t read Michael Morpurgo’s book or seen the film adaptation.
I only knew there was a boy, a horse and a war. Within minutes, I was completely absorbed.
Directed by Tom Morris and Katie Henry as revival director, this staging follows young Albert and his beloved horse Joey.
Then the First World War begins, Joey is sold to the cavalry and shipped off to France.
Albert, too young to enlist, risks everything to bring Joey home.
The puppetry is the centrepiece of the show and it is genuinely astonishing. The horses, built by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, are controlled by three visible puppeteers at a time.
War Horse is now running at New Wimbledon Theatre until Saturday, August 16 (Image: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg)
The decision not to hide the puppeteers is part of what makes the show so magical. They are not disguised in black.
They wear clothes that match the world of the play and their horse making their presence feel natural.
You see them working, and yet your imagination fills in the rest.
Rianna Ash, Chris Milford and Samuel Parker bring adult Joey to life with staggering skill.
You can see them operating his legs, his breath, even the twitch of an ear.
You see the human effort, yet you still believe in the horse completely. Joey feels powerful, emotional and alive.
The foal version of Joey is equally affecting, operated by Eloise Beaumont-Wood, Clara Lioe and Jordan Paris.
When Joey’s fully grown puppet arrives, the transition is so smooth and moving that it took my breath away.
There are no elaborate sets. Instead, the stage is framed by a torn strip of paper suspended above the action.
It becomes a canvas for projections, birds in flight, the farm, barbed wire, that quietly guide the audience from pastoral Devon to the chaos of No Man’s Land.
The lighting and sound design are just as intentional. Scenes change not with large gestures but with the turn of a shadow or the hum of a song.
The score, with its folk songs and mournful melodies, feels like a voice from another time.
When sung live, it carries an emotional weight that holds the whole production together.
His love for Joey is never overplayed. It simply feels honest
War Horse does not hold back from showing the horrors of war. It is often brutal, unflinching and difficult to watch.
There are moments of silence that land heavier than dialogue ever could.
Yet the show always finds ways to return to the hope and peace at its core.
There are moments of humour, of humanity, of friendship across enemy lines.
The entire experience is designed with remarkable care. Nothing feels rushed or random.
Every detail from the stamping of hooves to the correct use of military knowledge has been thought through.
This is storytelling that respects its audience and trusts them to feel deeply.
New Wimbledon Theatre proves the perfect setting for a production of this scale. The venue is beautiful, the staff warm and the atmosphere electric.
I have seen a lot of theatre over the years. This may be the best production I have ever seen.
It is a show about war, yes, but more than that it is a show about love, loyalty and the quiet bravery of not giving up. It is unforgettable.
War Horse is now running at New Wimbledon Theatre until Saturday, August 16.
