PICS: War Horse plays final West End performance

On Saturday (12th March) War Horse played its final West End performance at the New London Theatre. Check out images below (click picture to enlarge). 

Before the final show, members of the original creative team united for a special 'onstage platform'. In attendance were song maker John Tams, co-director Marianne Elliott, author Michael Morpurgo, horse choreographer Toby Sedgwick, co-director Tom Morris, composer Adrian Sutton, designer Rae Smith as well as Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler from Handspring Puppet Company who flew over specially from Cape Town in South Africa.

War Horse announces 2017-18 UK tour

Following its West End closure in March 2016, War Horse will launch a new UK tour next year.

War Horse will open at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury on 15th September 2017 when it runs until 14th October 2017. Tickets for all venues go on sale from 8th February 2016. 

The play will then tour to the Bristol Hippodrome (18 October - 11 November 2017), the Empire Theatre in Liverpool (15 November – 2 December 2017), New Theatre in Oxford (13 December 2017 – 6 January 2018), Brighton Centre (25 January – 10 February 2018), Bradford Alhambra Theatre (14 February – 10 March 2018) and the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (14 March – 7 April 2018). 

CONFIRMED: West End production of War Horse to close

Baz Bamigboye has announced that the West End production of War Horse will end its run at the New London Theatre on 12th March 2016. The show opened in the West End in 2009 following its premiere at the National Theatre in 2007.

War Horse is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s book, over 6 million people have now seen War Horse worldwide. Bamigboye says the company were told about the closure after the matinee performance earlier today (17th September).

Following its West End closure, War Horse will launch a new UK touring production. The West End production will have played over 3,000 performances and been seen by almost three million people.

Interview: James Backway, starring as Albert Narracott in War Horse

James Backway is currently making his West End debut as Albert Narracott in War Horse at the New London Theatre.

James’ previous work includes playing Kyle in Humans (Channel 4) and Jay in New Views (National Theatre).

Adapted by Nick Stafford from Michael Morpurgo’s novel, War Horse is now in its eighth year in London. The show, which premiered at the National Theatre in 2007 before transferring to the West End in 2009, is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris.

I recently spoke to James about why he never thought he would star in War Horse, what makes the show so accessible and what it’s like to work with such mesmerising puppetry… 

How familiar were you with War Horse before being cast in the show?

I’d seen it a few times. I was a big fan of the book and read it quite a few times as a child. Then I saw it when it first opened at the Olivier and then again when it transferred here. I actually also saw it a couple of weeks before I got the audition, I’m just a huge, huge fan of the show! I consider myself very lucky to now be a part of it.

War Horse releases new cast production images

A new cast of 26 actors and 12 puppeteers recently joined the West End company of War Horse at the New London Theatre. Check out images of the new cast in action below (click image to enlarge).

War Horse, which is now in its eighth year, is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s book, over 6 million people have now seen War Horse worldwide. The play is currently booking to February 2016 in London.

War Horse recently completed sell-out dates in South Africa visiting Johannesburg and Cape Town and concluded a record-breaking extensive UK national tour earlier this year in Bristol. A Chinese-language production will open in autumn 2015 at the National Theatre of China’s theatre in Beijing and will then tour across China.

War Horse announces new cast & extends West End booking to February 2016

 Michael Morpurgo

War Horse has extended its West End booking period at the New London Theatre to 13th February 2016. Over 150,000 new tickets have been released for sale. 

In its eighth year, and having now been seen by over 6 million worldwide, a new cast of 26 actors and 12 puppeteers join the company on 16th March 2015 led by the show’s equine star Joey. War Horse recently completed sell-out dates in South Africa visiting Johannesburg and Cape Town and has now returned to the UK where it will complete a record-breaking national tour in Bristol next month.

War Horse is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, designed by Rae Smith, with puppet direction, 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, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.

Interview: Jack Loxton, starring as Albert Narracott in War Horse

Jack Loxton is currently starring as Albert Narracott in the West End production of War Horse at the New London Theatre. 

He previously made his professional debut as Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Apollo Theatre.

War Horse received its world premiere at the National Theatre in October 2007 before transferring to the West End. The production is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris. Based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse has been seen by over 6 million people worldwide.

I recently spoke to Jack about what it was like to join War Horse last year, the secret to the show’s success and what it’s like to work with the incredible puppets night after night…

Had you seen the show before being cast as Albert?

Obviously because it’s so loved across the country it’s hard to get away from [laughs]! I saw it at college when I was about seventeen; it was Kit Harington playing Albert. I obviously knew the story and then there was the film and I had read the book so I knew it quite well.

So was Albert a role you had your eye on? Or was it more of a coincidence when the audition came around?

Yes – it’s a fantastic play to watch and it’s a fantastic story. Thinking back to when I was seventeen, to be part of it would have been a bit of a dream. After being in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time the opportunity to be seen for Albert arose and I grabbed it with two hands.

War Horse extends to October 2015

The National Theatre's production of War Horse has extended its booking period at the New London Theatre to Saturday 24th October 2015. Over 300,000 new tickets are now on sale.

Winner of twenty-five international awards, War Horse is now celebrating its seventh year in London. Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book continues to play at the New London Theatre, where it has been seen by over 2 million people. 

Interview: Michael Morpurgo

Friend or Foe is the latest of Michael Morpurgo’s books to be adapted for the stage. 

Following last year’s production of The Butterfly Lion, Friend or Foe runs at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester until Saturday 13th September 2014.

Friend or Foe has been adapted by the Mercury Theatre’s Artistic Director Daniel Buckroyd who has worked closely with Michael. Matthew Cullum directs. 

The show is described as a "thrilling tale of extraordinary friendship which will appeal to adults and children alike."

Evacuated from London at the height of the Second World War, David and Tucky can’t help feeling as though the fighting is a long way from their new lives in the countryside. But then suddenly one night, the skyline is lit up with gun flashes and the distant sound of bombing shatters their new found peace. When a German plane crashes on their farm the boys are plunged into a breathtaking adventure and faced with a life-and-death moral dilemma.

Michael Morpurgo's most successful stage adaptation to date is War Horse which is produced by the National Theatre. War Horse, which has been seen by over 5 million people worldwide, is currently celebrating its eighth year on the London stage. 

Michael speaks to West End Frame about collaborating with some of the greatest theatre directors, how he feels watching his work being brought to life on stage and the tremendous success of War Horse…

Your work always seems to translate incredibly well on stage. What’s your secret? Not all books work as plays!

I have been very lucky I think. My work has given me the opportunity to work with some of the greatest theatre directors including Tom Morris and Marianne Elliott for War Horse, but also Simon Reade, who adapted Private Peaceful and the Mozart Question for stage and radio, and Daniel Buckroyd for Friend or Foe and Farm Boy. It certainly has given my writing another dimension. I feel more and more that my writing is bound up in performance in some way.

War Horse announces relaxed performance

Jack Loxton as Albert Narracott
in War Horse

The National Theatre’s stage production of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse will hold a relaxed performance at the New London Theatre on Saturday 20th September 2014 at 2pm. 

The performance takes place in association with The National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK’s leading charity for people with autism and their families.

The performance is designed for people who will benefit from a more relaxed performance environment, including people with autism, sensory or communication disorders or learning disability.

The atmosphere in the auditorium will be relaxed to provide a more supportive environment, with experienced NAS volunteers and theatre staff on hand to assist patrons. Audience members will be free to come and go as they please throughout the performance and there will be designated ‘chill-out’ areas, in the foyer and bar area, with soft seating and activities.

Interview: Caroline Bowman, puppeteer in War Horse

Caroline Bowman recently joined the West End production of War Horse at the New London Theatre. She is one of the incredibly talented puppeteers who bring the mesmerising production to life night after night.

Celebrating its seventh year on the London stage, War Horse has now been seen by over 5 million people worldwide and was recently broadcast live for the first time as part of National Theatre Live.

Caroline studied puppetry at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Blind Summit offered to give her her first job upon graduating, which she happily accepted, building puppets for El Gato Con Botas, opening in New York in October 2010. She has since worked many more times with Blind Summit, both as a puppet-maker and also as a performer; most notably in the London Olympic Opening Ceremony where she operated the head of a massive hydraulic Captain Hook puppet in the NHS sequence. She also puppeteered the head of a five-metre long bird-dragon puppet in The Magic Flute on the world famous Bregenz Floating Stage in Austria.

She has worked on screen and stage as a puppeteer, and has made puppets for various companies, including Puppets With Guts, Third Party Productions, Old Saw Theatre, Slot Machine Theatre, and Watershed Productions. Caroline has worked in the puppet hospitals of both Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and also Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox.

She has toured throughout the world both as a puppeteer and also with Albert & Friends Instant Circus, London’s premier youth circus, of which she was a part from age 10. In 2008, together with co-conspirator Charlotte Quartermaine, Caroline started The Rainbow Collectors with who she makes surreal interactive theatrical experiences, mainly for an adult audience, exploring the thin divide between beauty and the grotesque. Their children’s show, The Gingerbread Man, originally directed by Steve Tiplady, is a sell-out hit, and they have toured it intermittently for the last five years.

I recently spoke to Caroline about joining one of the West End’s biggest plays, what it’s like being part of such an established show and the magic of puppetry…

Are you enjoying your first few weeks in War Horse?

It’s been great. I couldn’t quite believe we’d be ready in time to do it and then suddenly we were! It’s been quite exciting!

Photo Feature: New cast join War Horse

Now celebrating its seventh year on the London stage, War Horse recently welcomed a new cast to its West End production at the New London Theatre. The play has now been seen by over 5 million people worldwide and was recently broadcast live for the first time as part of National Theatre Live.

The current West End cast includes: Gareth Aled (Joey/Topthorn Head), Antony Antunes (Joey/Topthorn Hind), Caroline Bowman (Topthorn Hind), Clare Louise Connolly (Emilie/Baby Joey), Sophie Crawford (Songperson/musician), Ewen Cummins (Chapman Carter / Soldat Schmidt), Christopher Dickins (Sergeant Fine/Col Strauss), Drew Dillon (Rudi), Hasan Dixon (Captain Stewart), James Donovan (Joey/Topthorn Heart), Matthew Flynn (Ted), Nicholas Hart (Joey Head), Pernilla Holland (Annie Gilbert), Ian Houghton (Sergeant Allan/Manfred), Elan James (Klebb), Richard Katz (Friedrich Muller), Chris Kelham (Dr Schweyk/Vet Martin), Jason Langley (Captain Nicholls), Dylan Llewellyn (Billy Narracott), Andrew London (Joey Heart), Brian Lonsdale (Thomas Bone), Jack Loxton (Albert Narracott), Abigail Matthews (Baby Joey), Tony McGeever (David Taylor), David Nellist (Sergeant Thunder), Will Palmer (Joey/Topthorn Head), Lewis Peploe (Joey/Topthorn Hind), Jack Sandle (Priest/Gefreiter Karl), Lisa Stevenson (Rose Narracott), Julian Stolzenberg (John Greig), Michael Taibi (Joey/Topthorn Heart), James Alexander Taylor (Topthorn Heart), Emma Thornett (Baby Joey/Paulette), Sam Wilmott (Joey Hind), Simon Wolfe (Arthur Narracott) and Miles Yekinni (Topthorn Head).

Take a look at pictures of the new cast in action below (click on image to enlarge):

Photo Feature: Tom Daley, Dynamo, Daniel Mays, Phillip Schofield & more attend War Horse NT Live performane

Last night (27th Feb) the National Theatre’s multi-award-winning production of War Horse, seen by 5 million people worldwide since its premiere in 2007, was broadcast live for the first time from its home at the New London Theatre in the West End as part of National Theatre Live. The performance was watched live by over 155,000 people in cinemas across the UK.

Hosted by Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, the National Theatre Live screening of War Horse marked the first theatre production to be broadcast live in 4K for the screening at the Curzon Cinema in Chelsea; this version will be available as a 4K DCP, allowing many 4K-enabled cinemas to show encore screenings at a later date. 

Photo Feature: Thriller Live & War Horse celebrate landmark West End performances

The West End productions of Thriller Live and War Horse both celebrated landmark West End performances this week. On Wednesday (22nd Jan) Kieran Alleyne became the first of Thriller Live's young West End MJs to return to the show and sing as the adult Michael Jackson.

Kieran, now a successful 18-year-old recording artist working in the UK and the US, returned to Thriller for one night only to celebrate the show’s 5th birthday and the start of its record-breaking 6th year at the Lyric Theatre where it holds the record as the longest ever run in the theatre’s 125-year history having completed over 2,000 performances.

War Horse celebrates 2,000th performance tonight & extends booking to February 2015; new cast confirmed

The West End production of War Horse will celebrate its 2,000th performance tonight. 

To celebrate, producers have announced that the National Theatre's production has extended its booking period until 14th February 2015, with 130,000 new tickets going on sale on Monday 27th January 2014.

Now celebrating its seventh year on the London stage, Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book continues to play to sell-out houses at the New London Theatre. The UK touring production is currently playing at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. War Horse is also playing on tour in North America and in Berlin and next month, on 27th February, the production will broadcast live for the first time to cinemas worldwide as part of National Theatre Live.

Photo Feature: War Horse's Joey visits Coronation Street

Joey, the puppet that wows audiences night after night in the National Theatre's production of War Horse at the New London Theatre, enjoyed a trot along Coronation Street's famous cobbles during his recent trip to the city to celebrate the Manchester Tourism Awards.

Joey was joined outside the Rovers Return by Coronation Street stars Helen Worth, who plays Gail McIntyre and Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays Hayley Cropper. Take a look at the pictures below (click on an image to enlarge).

Sion Daniel Young: "to win is a genuine shock"

On Wednesday (30th October) we revealed that Sion Daniel Young (pictured right) had won the 2013 West End Frame Award for 'Best Dramatic Performance'. Sion won the award for for his portrayal of Albert Narracott in the West End production of War Horse.

Speaking to West End Frame today (1st November), Sion said: "To be in a list of nominees with so many wonderful actors was enough of a surprise, so to win is a genuine shock."

He continued to say: "Thanks to everyone who voted and to everyone in the company at War Horse as everything we do is always a team effort. We're blessed with fantastic audiences, without whom we'd be nothing. Thank you!"

Sion joined the National Theatre's production at the New London Theatre earlier this year and continues to play the role to great acclaim. Our 'Best Dramatic Performance' Award was a celebration of the most powerful and heart wrenching performances which move audiences night after night in theatreland.

War Horse extends to October 2014

It has been announced that the National Theatre’s production of War Horse has extended its West End run at the New London Theatre until 27th October 2014, with 280,000 new tickets going on sale. Click here to book tickets.

Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book received its world premiere at the National Theatre in October 2007 and has since been seen by over 4 million people worldwide. War Horse is currently celebrating its sixth year on the London stage. 

The powerful story of a young boy called Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, who has been requisitioned to fight for the English in World War I. Caught in enemy crossfire, Joey ends up serving on both sides during the war before landing in no man’s land, while Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home. War Horse is a tale of courage, loyalty and friendship.

NT Live announces live broadcasts of Othello, Macbeth, Coriolanus & War Horse

War Horse

Last week Peter Morgan's Olivier Award-winning new play The Audience was broadcast around the wold. The play was seen by nearly 30,000 people in North America and nearly 80,000 people in the UK - the largest audience ever for a live broadcast from National Theatre Live.

Following this success,  many encore screening have been added with some further dates yet to be announced. In North America, there are currently 700 screenings scheduled and in the UK nearly 800 screenings will take place - the largest number of screenings for a National Theatre Live broadcast in both North America and the UK ever. 

Interview: Sion Daniel Young, currently starring as Albert Narracott in War Horse

Sion Daniel Young is currently starring as Albert Narracott in the West End production of War Horse. Since opening at the National Theatre in 2007, War Horse has been seen by over three million people worldwide. Now celebrating its sixth year on the London stage, Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book continues to play to sell-out houses at the New London Theatre.

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.

Sion’s work in theatre includes Titus at the Imaginate Festival, Llwyth (Tribe) for Sherman Theatre Cymru, House of America and The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning for National Theatre Wales and The Welsh Boy at Theatre Royal, Bath. His television credits include Tissues and Issues and Hotel Eddie while his film credits include Private Peaceful, Daisy Chain and The Street. 

Earlier this week I spoke to Sion about why he thinks War Horse has been a global success, what it’s like working so closely with the incredible puppets and how he performs such a demanding role eight times a week...

How would you sum up your time in War Horse so far?
It’s going really well! I’m now in my fifth month with the company and it’s great! Everyone has settled in now and it is just such a great show to be a part of.