Now in its fourth year, Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse has been seen by over 1.5 million people world-wide. The London production of War Horse is currently taking bookings up to 16 February 2013.
After an opening at the National Theatre in October 2007, Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book has been playing to sell-out houses at the New London Theatre since March 2009. The Broadway production of War Horse, which opened at the Lincoln Center’s Vivien Beaumont Theatre, was the winner of six Tony Awards including a Special Tony Award for Handspring Puppet Company. A further production is due to open in February 2012 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, with a US tour scheduled to start in Los Angeles in June 2012. An exhibition at the National Army Museum, War Horse: Fact and Fiction, runs from 22 October 2011 – August 2012. Stephen Spielberg’s film version of War Horse is due to be released later this year.
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 odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.
From 16 November the cast comprises Alex Avery (Captain Nicholls), Joshua Blake (John Greig), Pascale Burgess (Paulette), Richard Cant (Priest / Friedrich Muller), Sam Clark (Joey Hind), Kate Colebrook (Baby Joey / Emilie), Emily Cooper (Joey/Topthorn Hind / Goose), Matt Costain (Topthorn Hind / Goose), Ewen Cummins (Chapman Carter / Col. Strauss / Soldat Schmidtt), Danny Dalton (David Taylor), Matthew Forbes (Joey Head), Bob Fox (Songman), Thomas Goodridge (Joey/Topthorn Hind), Owain Gwynn (Joey/Topthorn Heart), Jack Holden (Albert Narracott), Robert Horwell (Arthur Narracott / Sgt Thunder), Christian Jenner (Dr Schweyk / Heine / Sgt Fine), Luke Jerdy (Billy Narracott / Coco / Ludwig), Curtis Jordan (Joey/Topthorn Head / Goose), Louise Kempton (Annie Gilbert), Dominic Leeder (Topthorn Heart), Henry Maynard (Topthorn Head), Shaun McKee (Joey/Topthorn Heart / Geordie), Steve Nicolson (Ted Narracott), Christopher Patrick Nolan (Gefreiter Karl / Vet Martin), Jack Parker (Topthorn Head), Malcolm Ridley (Sgt Allan / Soldat Manfred), Mat Ruttle (Bone / Heine), William Rycroft (Captain Stewart / Rudi), Rachel Sanders (Rose Narracott), Eliot Short (Klebb / Fiddler), Meghan Treadway (Baby Joey), John Trindle (Baby Joey), Adam Welsh (Johann Schnabel / Sentry Shaw) and Tom Wilton (Joey Heart).
Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse is designed by Rae Smith, with puppet design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick; the puppetry directors are Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.
War Horse is produced in the West End by the National Theatre and National Angels.
[posted 01/11/2011]