...quite simply, anyone seen it yet?

I didn't plan to see it again (after 4 visits) but my parents are coming down and I owe it to them to get tickets for the most astonishingly inventive show in London. But I'm wary that it can't surely be as good in the New London. Please someone tell me it is.

You needn't worry: it's as good, if not better. It works really well in the space, and it definitely doesn't feel squashed.

Just wondering if anyone has perspective on the "age 12 and older" recommendation. We'll be in London this summer with two 10-year old granddaughters and wonder if 10 might be two young for this show. We have been trying to introduce them to the theatre and this show looks like a wonderful opportunity for that, but wonder if the show might be too powerful or emotional for 10-year olds.

This would be a perfect introduction to theatre - it's a wonderful show and, aged 10, they should enjoy it fine at that age. It's a while since I saw it but I don't think a 10-year old would find it too harrowing. It can get emotional but there's nothing so disturbing to make it unapproachable to children that young.

...and don't forget if you book through the right channels, under-18s get cheaper seats.

I am sure your children will love it - may also be worth though reading the book with them first so they know whats happening!

I took a wussy nine year old. She got a bit rabid about covering her ears whenever she suspected there would be gunfire, but considering how wussy she is, I was very pleased to see she enjoyed it on the whole. As long as your kids are the type to cling to your arm in silent dread if they get wussy rather than the type to scream and run around, shouldn't be a problem. And if they aren't especially wussy, then all the better!

Has anyone sat in the front section of the stalls, and can you tell me if this is a good view? I have seen Joseph at this theatre a few years ago but can not remember how high the stage was.

the stage is relatively low and you should be fine! I saw the show at the front of the Olivier Stalls and it was a great show then!

Thanks for that. I am really looking forward to seeing it now - got my tickets for June, after seeing it on Paul O Grady yesterday

I too saw them on Paul O'Grady and had forgotten how captivating the horses really are. Watching that footage with the music soundtrack brought a tear to my eye. Possibly will book to see again as my parents never saw this first time round and I want to share the experience with them.

The NT are now looking at extending War Horse into mid-February 2010! Fantastic news!

Ok i'm looking for some advice! We are going to London to see Kerry Ellis at the Shaw theatre on the 25th June. I have heard good reviews about this play and saw that it's on at 2:30 on the same day. Now i don't know London at all and neither does my boyfriend so was wondering, does anyone know would it be possible for us to make War Horse (we come in to London Stanstead at 8am) at 2:30 and also make kerry's show that night?? would it be very tight time wise? and someone who has seen the show, is it worth going to all this effort (and money as the tickets seem pricey enough)!?!? I could also go shopping..........

Yes, you'd have plenty of time to get from the New London to the Shaw, War Horse would finish around 5.30 and it will take you less than 20 minutes to get to Euston. Definitely pick War Horse over shopping!

yea i think i will!!
Is the only place you can get tickets to it is from the actual theatre website? They are only showing us 2 set of seats and they are at a quite awkward place and for the price, don't think they'd be worth it.

Has extended to February 2010.

I saw this on Saturday and was very impressed but with some reservations. The horses were incredible, so lifelike that I forgot their "operatives" a lot of a the time.
At the interval my friend and I both said that we found Albert's voice very annoying. It seem strained all the time. I know he was trying to play a simple lad but it just didn't sit right with us. In fact I wish it hadn't said that it was in Devon as none of the characters sounded remotely Devonian. His mother seemed more Irish to me. I've noticed that before in plays that when a West Country accent is called for it often veers off into "Oirish".
At the end of the play I heard a young lad say that the second half was much better than the first and we both agreed with that.
Unfortunately when the other army horses came on my friend whispered that "the back legs must have called in sick today" and that stayed with me for the whole show!
Certainly think the show deserves it's acclaim and I loved the goose!

Saw War Horse at the New London on Thursday night. Sat in row G of the stalls thought it was a fresher and different production to at the National. Fantastic cast, the sound and the energy was great bearing in mind they had done a mat only a few hours ago is pretty impressive.



The show fits well to the stage, the cast come out into the audience which is a really good idea because it makes the audience more involved…Kit Harrington even though he is extremely good looking (in my opinion) his voice is slightly annoying at the start but I got used to it certainly. Special mention to Tim van Eyken whose voice was brilliant in the show, really made it come alive…and he also had a smile all through on his face which was good to see.



The puppets of course are amazing, and the cast are strong and fresh. A fantastic show!

Do they have dayseats?

As far as I'm aware, no, there are no designated seats put aside for release on the day.

Can someone tell me if E43 is a decent seat?

theatremonkey can! http://www.theatremonkey.com/NEWLONDONbooking.htm#Th

The show was closed last Monday and Tuesday for a new cast to take over. I believe about half the cast are new and the play is running until March 2010. Has anyone seen the new cast who saw the original cast and how do they compare?

I have missed this show and would like to see it but I am always wary of not seeing the original casts as I have been dissapointed in the past having seen a great cast originally in a piece, then re-visting later in the run and finding the replacement cast pale imitations of the original.

The horse puppet work in this, for example, so praised in the original must have taken weeks of training and rehearsal. Will the new cast have had the same amount of training and time?

Is it still worth checking out?

I'm seeing the new cast next Saturday, having seen the original-original cast, and the second cast. Will let you know!

But then, if you've not yet seen it, it won't really matter to you how they compare, just as long as the puppetry is convincing. We'll see.

I saw it this week for the first time and didn't realise there had been a cast change. The puppetry looked superb to me.

Anyone seen the new cast?

I saw both the original cast at the National in 07, the second National cast in 08 and the New London cast in the summer and am seeing the show in January...anyone know what Robert Emms is like compared to Luke Treadaway/Kit Harrington as Albert? And any other changes in the cast?

New cast due to go in end of March.

Each new puppeteer team get intensive training on all aspects of the show's puppetry as well as specialising in their casting role prior to actual rehearsals with the full cast.

I have to admit to being very about the news that Spielberg is to make a film of War Horse, and can only hope that the film has no connection or roots in the stage show, and that he goes right back to the book. I would so prefer that any film connected to the stage production is made by that team, developing their ideas, and not gazumped by Holllywood. Just one word in connection with Spielberg............Hook! No several other words about Hook, overblown, vulgar, crass - everything JMBarrie was not about. Sorry.

I know it's a very long shot, but would anyone know who played Albert last Friday? I am 100% sure it wasn't Robert Emms, but there were no notices anywhere that an understudy was on, nor does the programme list understudies for the principal roles. Could be any of a couple of guys in the programme. Would love to know who he was!

Did you not get a slip in the programme? There was a small piece of paper with all the changes (only a few of the minor roles that day) when I saw it.

I saw this show for the first time last month and loved it. I'd read quite a lot of criticism on the 'net of the lead performances, so it was slightly to my surprise that I really enjoyed Robert Emms's performance as Albert - I've no-one to compare him to in the role, obviously, but I thought he did an excellent job. Was less keen on some of the supporting cast (the scenes with the German officer in the second act seemed to go on forever), but the horses were every bit as spectacular as everyone's said and the music was lovely too. I avoided the show for ages as I never liked Michael Morpurgo's books as a kid, but I'm glad I did see it in the end!

Nope, sadly no slips or anything. The others were first cast as far as I recognized them, except perhaps the father. And I sat in the front row, so I -should- have been able to see people clearly, maybe time to consider glasses.

I had read the original book first and I still like that better than the play adaption I admit. I mean I don't think they should have made Joey talk in the play, but the whole think told by the horse, from his point of view, made Morpugo's book so touching and unique for me. It was still very touching on stage, but lacked that uniqueness now, not to mention that they also tweaked the story some and that the German officer, Friedrich, was very over the top on stage, unlike in the book, where he was much more likeable. But definitely still a great play I shall recommend to friends too.

I think the problem with the way it's done in the play is that because Albert essentially speaks for Joey, he becomes as much the main character as the horse, so it's rather jarring when the story suddenly seems to shift to the German officer in the second act. If the book is told from Joey's point of view I imagine that would work better. (I think I read the book years ago, but I don't really remember anything about it.) I have to agree that the German officer was very over-the-top, though I'm not sure if that was because of the actor (Patrick O'Kane) or the way it was written. Just a minor quibble though, I still loved the show.