War Horse is back in Oxford and I, for one, am so excited about it!
I'd already enjoyed the production in London, so when I was invited to the Press Night in Oxford, I couldn't wait to see it again. There are only a few shows which are worthy of a second viewing and War Horse is 100% up there...my mum clearly thinks so (this was her third time seeing it - and yes, she has cried at the end of every performance!)
We were greeted with a selection of drinks in the New Theatre's Piano Bar which is always a lovely spot to start the evening. Then we headed to our seats and the production began. From start to finish, it was totally engaging. This is one of the things I love most about the theatre - you've had a stressful day, there are things on your mind, a million things you have to do - but for those two hours you're sitting in your seats watching the show, they all disappear, you escape to a new time and place and come away with that warm, fuzzy feeling which only a live production can bring.
We were transported to the outbreak of World War One when Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. Albert, who remained on his parents’ Devon farm, cannot forget Joey. Though still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home...
The wow factor of War Horse is the mastery of the horses themselves which are created through puppetry that is so life-like, within a few minutes of the performance beginning you forget they're not real horses - the movements, the sounds and most of all the emotions, make you connected to the horses in a way that is difficult to imagine until you see them with your own eyes.
So I suggest you do just that: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/war-horse/new-theatre-oxford/