War Horse Festival Theatre Edinburgh 2nd October 2025 Review
War Horse is at The Festival Theatre Edinburgh from Thu 02 to Sat 11 October, and this new production of this now iconic stage show has obviously lost none of its appeal with audiences.
Written by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse is truly the stuff of dreams as the original book, published by Kaye and Ward in 1982, about the bond between man and horse and the unimaginable cruelty and slaughter that both experienced on the battlefields of World War I, sold slowly. The story was, however, to become a major success when director Tom Morris became aware of the book and thought that there was a way to bring the story to stage with both the National Theatre and South Africa’s Handspring, a company well known for their work with puppets. That 2007 production broke many of the then perceived rules of what a live stage production could be, and War Horse is still surprising and delighting audiences across the world.
War Horse has been adapted for stage by playwright Nick Stafford with directors Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris creating between them a stage production that is full of the best and worst that humanity has to offer, not only to one another but to animals, and in this case horses. Show revival director Katie Henry has stayed true to this story and its many powerful and at times harrowing moments. Many of the men on the battlefields chose to be there, the horses had no choice but to be there.
The work by the puppeteers on the life sized horses in War Horse is amazing to watch. War Horse is an odd production to watch as there is no escaping the fact that these human puppeteers are there on stage all the time, but somehow they melt away into the background and our brains focus more and more on these horses. The attention to detail, to the smallest movement of horses, makes these unique creations truly not only come alive, but somehow be imbued with real emotions and personalities on stage. To create a show where audiences actually care about a puppet is a truly amazing feat of story-telling to achieve.
War Horse the stage production does have human performers in its story too and it is often their ability to seamlessly merge with Handspring’s creations and their operators that plays a big part in the success of this unique theatrical event. They have to believe that these are living horses on stage, or we as an audience might begin to doubt that.
This production is pretty much two stories in one. In the first half, we have the Narracott Family, Rose (Jo Castleton), Ted (Karl Haynes) and Albert (Tom Sturgess), struggling to survive on their rural farm. Matters are made much worse when Albert, drunk at a horse auction, spends all of the mortgage money on a foal. The horse from a farmer’s point of view is an economic disaster as it is never going to be one to be put to the arduous task of pulling a plough all day long in fields, but the bond between the horse and his son is almost an instant one. It is Albert’s bond and devotion to the horse that is named Joey that underpins this whole story. Good, believable performances by all the human performers in this production create stories within stories here – that of their world, and that of the horses.
Visually, War Horse is a masterpiece, but the very simplicity of the basic set itself is often at odds with just how complex the set as a whole actually is once video, sound, lighting and music are all added together. Why there is that white torn strip across the back of the set becomes clear if you pay attention to the small details of this work. This animation of this idyllic landscape surrounding farmlands and hills that the Naracotts know and love so well is also sharply brought into focus with their counterparts in France, a landscape once full of beauty that is now a hell on earth battlefield. This animation is a whole story in its own right.
War Horse is as powerful a commentary on the horrors of World War I as you are likely to get on stage, but here Michael Morpurgo has given humanity to the men on both sides of this conflict. Here everyone risks losing not only those closest to them, but their own self in the process.
There are many show stopping moments and surprises in War Horse, and I am not giving any of them away in this review as this production is something unique to theatre and it has to be experienced live by audiences to get its emotional impact.
Review by Tom King © 2025
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Written by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse is truly the stuff of dreams as the original book, published by Kaye and Ward in 1982, about the bond between man and horse and the unimaginable cruelty and slaughter that both experienced on the battlefields of World War I, sold slowly. The story was, however, to become a major success when director Tom Morris became aware of the book and thought that there was a way to bring the story to stage with both the National Theatre and South Africa’s Handspring, a company well known for their work with puppets. That 2007 production broke many of the then perceived rules of what a live stage production could be, and War Horse is still surprising and delighting audiences across the world.
War Horse has been adapted for stage by playwright Nick Stafford with directors Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris creating between them a stage production that is full of the best and worst that humanity has to offer, not only to one another but to animals, and in this case horses. Show revival director Katie Henry has stayed true to this story and its many powerful and at times harrowing moments. Many of the men on the battlefields chose to be there, the horses had no choice but to be there.
The work by the puppeteers on the life sized horses in War Horse is amazing to watch. War Horse is an odd production to watch as there is no escaping the fact that these human puppeteers are there on stage all the time, but somehow they melt away into the background and our brains focus more and more on these horses. The attention to detail, to the smallest movement of horses, makes these unique creations truly not only come alive, but somehow be imbued with real emotions and personalities on stage. To create a show where audiences actually care about a puppet is a truly amazing feat of story-telling to achieve.
War Horse the stage production does have human performers in its story too and it is often their ability to seamlessly merge with Handspring’s creations and their operators that plays a big part in the success of this unique theatrical event. They have to believe that these are living horses on stage, or we as an audience might begin to doubt that.
This production is pretty much two stories in one. In the first half, we have the Narracott Family, Rose (Jo Castleton), Ted (Karl Haynes) and Albert (Tom Sturgess), struggling to survive on their rural farm. Matters are made much worse when Albert, drunk at a horse auction, spends all of the mortgage money on a foal. The horse from a farmer’s point of view is an economic disaster as it is never going to be one to be put to the arduous task of pulling a plough all day long in fields, but the bond between the horse and his son is almost an instant one. It is Albert’s bond and devotion to the horse that is named Joey that underpins this whole story. Good, believable performances by all the human performers in this production create stories within stories here – that of their world, and that of the horses.
Visually, War Horse is a masterpiece, but the very simplicity of the basic set itself is often at odds with just how complex the set as a whole actually is once video, sound, lighting and music are all added together. Why there is that white torn strip across the back of the set becomes clear if you pay attention to the small details of this work. This animation of this idyllic landscape surrounding farmlands and hills that the Naracotts know and love so well is also sharply brought into focus with their counterparts in France, a landscape once full of beauty that is now a hell on earth battlefield. This animation is a whole story in its own right.
War Horse is as powerful a commentary on the horrors of World War I as you are likely to get on stage, but here Michael Morpurgo has given humanity to the men on both sides of this conflict. Here everyone risks losing not only those closest to them, but their own self in the process.
There are many show stopping moments and surprises in War Horse, and I am not giving any of them away in this review as this production is something unique to theatre and it has to be experienced live by audiences to get its emotional impact.
Review by Tom King © 2025
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com