War Horse, the famous theatre production based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel, will return to the National Theatre in London this summer.
The production, which is best known for its incredible life-sized puppets, will begin at the Olivier Theatre on Saturday 16 May and run until Thursday 30 July.
Adapted by Nick Stafford and originally directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse has become the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre. It won more than 25 awards, including a Tony award for best play, and has been watched by over eight million people.
The production recently completed a UK and Ireland tour which performed at 21 venues between September 2024 and November 2025.
The story
War Horse, which is set among the backdrop of the First World War, uses masterful puppetry work to tell the story of a young boy called Albert and his relationship with his horse Joey.
At the outbreak of World War One, Joey is sold to the British Cavalry and shipped to France.
The horse is 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 and embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home.
War Horse is described as a “powerfully moving and imaginative drama”.
“A show of phenomenal inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping, charging, horses to thrilling life on stage and has inspired a generation of theatre-makers since its premiere in 2007.”
To book tickets click here.
Image © The National Theatre.
