Bucks &amp; Oxon

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0019_.jpg" alt="War Horse horse puppet being fed" class="wp-image-178865" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0019_.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0019_-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0019_-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0019_-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The buzz started outside the theatre, with the audience snaking down the street waiting for entry. By the time I made it in the auditorium, it was evident that it was a full house for the long-awaited return of <a href="https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/war-horse/new-theatre-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">War Horse</a> to Oxford&#8217;s New Theatre. And the standing ovation at the end was inevitable, because it was, quite simply, exquisite theatre.



War Horse started as the best-selling children&#8217;s book by Michael Morpurgo, became a multi-award winning play by the National Theatre in 2007, and more recently segued into a film (it&#8217;s also a very good charades choice).



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1114" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Rianna-Ash-Chris-Milford-Thomas-Goodridge-Topthorn-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0269_.jpg" alt="War Horse horses" class="wp-image-178862" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Rianna-Ash-Chris-Milford-Thomas-Goodridge-Topthorn-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0269_.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Rianna-Ash-Chris-Milford-Thomas-Goodridge-Topthorn-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0269_-800x594.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Rianna-Ash-Chris-Milford-Thomas-Goodridge-Topthorn-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0269_-1000x743.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Rianna-Ash-Chris-Milford-Thomas-Goodridge-Topthorn-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0269_-400x297.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Set just before and then during the outbreak of the First World War in Devon, Albert Narracott (played convincingly by Tom Sturgess, all youthful innocence and spirit) is distraught when his father sells his beloved horse Joey to the Cavalry, who is then shipped to France to aid war efforts. The story follows Albert&#8217;s extraordinary quest to bring Joey safely home, with the story following the friends&#8217; experience of war from the loss and death in the trenches, through to love and new friendships.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Ike-Bennett-David-Taylor-and-Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0927_-1000x667.jpg" alt="War Horse soldiers" class="wp-image-178863" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Ike-Bennett-David-Taylor-and-Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0927_-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Ike-Bennett-David-Taylor-and-Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0927_-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Ike-Bennett-David-Taylor-and-Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0927_-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Ike-Bennett-David-Taylor-and-Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg-1113-0927_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The play brings home the stark horrors and complexities of war, and the truth that no-one wins. The Germans are as scared of the Tommys as the Tommys are of the Fritzes. A German officer, desperate to get home to his daughter, swaps identities with a dead soldier. Young men gallop towards barbed wire fences on officer&#8217;s orders, looking for gaps that don&#8217;t exist. 



However it&#8217;s the central relationship between Albert and his horse Joey that gives the play its emotional heart. The puppetry in War Horse is justly famous, with three puppeteers (head, heart, legs) moving each horse. Clearly evident on stage, I&#8217;m not sure I ever quite forgot they were there, but there were moments of jaw-dropping theatre – Joey&#8217;s transformation from baby foal to powerful grown-up hunting horse is a particularly powerful moment. And when Joey trots, canters and then fully charges on the war field the whole audience was rapt.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-and-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0662a_-1000x667.jpg" alt="War Horse boy and horse" class="wp-image-178864" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-and-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0662a_-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-and-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0662a_-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-and-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0662a_-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-and-Diany-Samba-Bandza-Jordan-Paris-Eloise-Beaumont-Wood-Baby-Joey-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0662a_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



All the actors were excellent and en pointe, with Sally Simpson confident as The Singer, a kind of country-girl narrator to the action with her clear, strong voice. The staging is impressive too, a stark set with a torn page from a sketchbook, upon which scenes of the First World War, from Calais in 1914 to the trenches of No Man&#8217;s Land, and clever spotlighting which highlights every subtle breath (sounds are made by the actors too), ear movement or hoof clacking on the ground – all in perfect time.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Thomas-Goodridge-Goose-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0144_-1000x667.jpg" alt="War Horse goose puppet" class="wp-image-178866" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Thomas-Goodridge-Goose-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0144_-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Thomas-Goodridge-Goose-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0144_-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Thomas-Goodridge-Goose-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0144_-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Thomas-Goodridge-Goose-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.1113-0144_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



This performance had a large contingent of primary-school age children and it&#8217;s a long play at 2 hrs 45 mins (including a 20 min interval) but the nine-year-old sitting next to me was totally entranced. It&#8217;s a real sensory experience – visually exciting, with a beautiful music score, and an uplifting story of love and friendship, with moments of laugh-aloud humour to temper the darker scenes. It was theatre at its best &#8211; immersive, believable, moving and transportive. Go see it if you have the chance – it&#8217;s a creative masterpiece.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-and-cast-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.-1113-0251a_-1000x667.jpg" alt="War Horse boy with horse" class="wp-image-178867" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-and-cast-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.-1113-0251a_-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-and-cast-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.-1113-0251a_-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-and-cast-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.-1113-0251a_-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/Tom-Sturgess-Albert-Narracott-Matthew-Lawrence-Rafe-Young-Felicity-Donnelly-Joey-and-cast-in-War-Horse.-Credit-Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.-1113-0251a_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Good for: Everyone. I can&#8217;t believe you won&#8217;t enjoy this play. If you have children who can sit still for more than two hours, take them. They&#8217;ll be blown away by the puppetry and story.



Not for: No kids three years or under are allowed, so leave them at home with Mr Tumble and enjoy a brilliant night at the theatre.



See <a href="https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/war-horse/new-theatre-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">War Horse</a> at New Theatre Oxford until Sat 4 Jan. 24-26 George St, Oxford OX1 2AG.

Gala review: War Horse, New Theatre Oxford

You may also like