The National Theatre’s global smash-hit production of War Horse, the unforgettable theatrical event based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, will return to Southampton later this year.
The most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, which has won 25 major awards and has been seen by 8.3 million people worldwide, will visit Mayflower Theatre from October 8 to 19.
Tickets go on sale on February 23.
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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 powerful drama is 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.
Director Tom Morris said, “It is a huge privilege to be invited to revisit War Horse and to share this powerful story once more with audiences around the country.
"Michael Morpurgo’s brilliant idea, to explore the crushing violence of war through the experience of a horse, makes his story as powerful and resonant today as it has ever been."
Author Michael Morpurgo added: “I am so delighted the National Theatre’s iconic production of War Horse is back! When Covid closed the show down in Australia in the midst of its second world tour, many thought, and I was amongst them, that we’d never see War Horse on stage again. Now it’s really happening - we will hear the music and songs, be amazed by its design and lighting, live Joey’s story again. War Horse is about the tragedy of war and about a horse and his boy, but it's also so many other things - it's about family and community, courage and loss, hope, and most importantly reconciliation.”
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.
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