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War Horse

based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo
adapted by Nick Stafford
presented in association with the award-winning Handspring Puppet Company

Close-up of a horse's eye reflecting soldiers in World War I. A drawing of a young man riding a puppet horse is seen in the foreground.

Booking and details

9 October 2007 — 14 February 2008
This show has now ended
The event location is

Olivier Theatre

National Theatre
South Bank
London SE1 9PX

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land.

Albert, who remained on his parents’ Devon farm, cannot forget Joey. Though still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

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.

War Horse is an unforgettable theatrical event which takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France.

Performed 9 October 2007 — 14 February 2008 in the Olivier Theatre.