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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Nick Curtis

War Horse at the National Theatre: Remains tremendously moving

National the National Theatre Joey Tom Morris
Tom Sturgess in War Horse 2026 at the National Theatre - (Brinkhoff-Moegenburg)

Yes, it’s sentimental but this puppet-horsepowered tale of a stallion and his boy seeking each other through the carnage of the Somme, based on Michael Morpurgo’s book, remains tremendously moving.

Partly it’s the scale and expressiveness of the enormous, titular Joey and his equine sidekick Topthorn, semi-transparent but fleshy, all pistoning legs and surging necks, brought to vivid, whinnying life by fluent teams of operators.

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