Farm Boy

Michael Morpurgo wrote Farm Boy as a sort of sequel to War Horse: Joey coming back to Dorset from Flanders fields is at the heart of another story altogether, the replacement of horses on the farm by tractors.

So, we don’t have any sculptured equines similar to those in the National Theatre triumph, but we do have an onstage recreation of a real 1920s green tractor, with big tyres and a puffing funnel.

The tractor has been discovered at the back of an old barn by a grandson (Matt Powell) whose grandpa (John Walters) recounts the day, long ago, of a ploughing competition between horse and tractor for a wager.

Romance wins out, and the “educated” grandson, who has taught the illiterate old boy to read thrillers, decides to stay down on the farm. Daniel Buckroyd’s production for New Perspectives is a nice dollop of rural charm for youngsters and parents alike.