THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON
WAR HORSE
RETURNS TO NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE
FOR SUMMER RUN FOLLOWING PREVIOUS
SOLD-OUT WIMBLEDON RUN
The National Theatre’s smash-hit production of WAR HORSE, based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, will return to New Wimbledon Theatre from Tuesday 5th – Saturday 16th August 2025 after a hugely successful sold-out run at the venue in September 2024.
Currently touring the UK and Ireland, tickets for this 5-star hit production will go on sale this Friday 28 March at 10am and can be booked by clicking here. For more information and to sign-up visit WarHorseOnStage.com.
WAR HORSE, adapted by Nick Stafford and originally directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, has become the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, winning more than 25 major awards including the Tony Award for ‘Best Play’, and has been seen by over 8.3 million people worldwide. The 2024-2025 tour is co-produced with Michael Harrison, Fiery Angel, and Playing Field. Casting for the New Wimbledon Theatre performances will be announced at a later date.
WAR HORSE tells the remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama is 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.
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.
This tour of WAR HORSE marks 110 years since the start of the First World War and follows the 40th anniversary of the publication of Michael Morpurgo’s global best-selling novel, which has now sold over 2 million copies world-wide and in 44 different languages.
Creative development for the tour has been led by Tom Morris with revival director Katie Henry, featuring reimagined designs by Rae Smith and additional music by Adrian Sutton. Puppet design and fabrication is by Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting design is by Rob Casey, movement and horse choreography is by Toby Sedgwick with puppet direction by Matthew Forbes. Animation and projection design is by Nicol Scott for 59 Productions, John Tams is songmaker and sound design is by Christopher Shutt. Casting is by Jill Green CDG. They are joined by associate designer William Fricker and associate costume designer Johanna Coe, associate lighting designer Tom Turner, assistant lighting designer Charly Dunford, music associate Matthew Gough, associate sound designer Rob Bettle, associate sound designer Raffaela Pancucci, musical director Dom Coyote, fight director Paul Benzing, voice coach Carol Fairlamb, dialect coach Rebecca Daltry, resident director Anna Marshall, assistant puppetry director Lewis Howard and dramatherapist Samantha Adams. Casting associates are Olivia Laydon and Tom Shiels.
WAR HORSE received its world premiere on 9th October 2007 at the National Theatre, where it played for two seasons before opening at the New London Theatre in March 2009. Since then, WAR HORSE has been seen in 100 cities in 14 countries, including productions on Broadway, in Toronto and Berlin, with touring productions in the UK and Ireland, North America, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The National Theatre’s Partner for Financial Wellbeing, Charles Stanley, is supporting WAR HORSE on tour.
All details in this article are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.
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