Review: War Horse (Touring)

Tuesday 19th August 2025 at Leeds Grand Theatre 

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Michael Morpurgo’s celebrated novel has been a roaring success on stage for some years – and this latest touring production proves very quickly why that is. There’s an emotive magic to the story of a young boy and his deep connection with his horse, but there’s also a huge amount of theatrical magic that goes into telling such a story on stage – and that magic rests with superb performances from actors and puppeteers alike.

Nick Stafford adapts for the stage and Tom Morris directs (revival director: Katie Henry), finding both the light and the dark of the story with sensitivity and warmth. Yes, we’re following the wholesome connection of boy and beast, but we’re also looking at family discord, war and loss – and yet humour is a frequent companion thanks to a playful approach and plenty of imagination (trust me, you’ll never love a goose more!). 

Tom Sturgess is fantastic as young Albert Narracott. Sweet-natured and boyish, he offers a warm skittishness that aligns him neatly with the foal he’s tasked with rearing. Meanwhile, Jo Castleton is a real force as Rose, the doting mum and long-suffering wife to Ted – played with a drunken sense of tragedy by Karl Haynes.

Other standout performances include Gareth Radcliffe’s Sargeant Thunder – an army caricature worthy of a Blackadder skit and the owner of the best comic moments towards the close of the play. Ike Bennett is a charmer as Thomas, comrade-in-arms to Albert, keeping him on his toes out in the trenches, while Alexander Ballinger takes a likeable turn as the pure-hearted Friedrich Müller.

And then of course we reach the truly wonderful puppetry. Adrian Kohler’s designs are all wicker and fabric and visible mechanisms and yet they capture hearts and minds with extraordinary ease. It takes no time at all to fall under the spell and it’s amazing how the brain can tap into that imagined reality thanks to such skilful movement (Puppetry director: Matthew Forbes; Director of movement and horse choreography: Toby Sedgwick).

Little Joey (Head – Jordan Paris; Heart: Eloise Beaumont-Wood; Hind – Clara Lioe) captures hearts first; sweet and skittish, every turn of the ear and gentle bray carries youthful meaning. Then the fully grown Joey arrives in all his glory (Head: Tom Quinn; Heart: Lewis McBean; Hind – Michael Larcombe), full of spirit but losing none of his gentleness, it all paves the way for that emotional drive of the central story. And no less impressive is Topthorn (Head: Tea Poldervaart; Heart; Robin Hayward; Hind – Gun Suen) – the grand stallion who overshadows Joey in stature but becomes the Thomas to his Albert in good time.

With the story playing out in all its drama below, Rae Smith’s set design looms overhead as the torn sheet of an artist’s sketch pad, on which drawings and animations are projected (animation and projection design: Nicol Scott and Ben Pearcy), moving us through time and locations as the war progresses and providing cinematic flair to the most affecting scenes at home and away – helped along in enveloping the audience by Rob Casey’s lighting, Adrian Sutton’s music, John Tams’ work as “songmaker” and Sally Swanson’s soaring voice which speaks to another time of rural simplicity. 

So yes, War Horse is an exceptional show full of heart and spectacle – a rare example of just how far puppetry can elevate a story, and a show that you’ll want to see again and again. Catch it if you can!

War Horse is at Leeds Grand Theatre until September 6th 2025 – more information and tickets can be found here.