I saw the first preview performance of War Horse on March 28th 2009, and I can't recommend the play enough. The company have had to make a few changes following its transfer from the National, presumably because the stage at the New London theatre is slightly smaller, but the play is still extremely powerful and without doubt, the most creative production I have ever seen.

From our seats in row A of the stalls, the incredible skills of the puppeteers could be appreciated in even more detail. Go and see this if you get the chance!
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We followed Theatremonkey advice for a party of 6 for Tuesday 14th April 2009 ( Easter hols, day after Bank Holiday Monday) and sat in middle row J or K ...can't recall which now... of the stalls. We hadn't been to New London before, we felt really close to the action. Great seats...but not cheap! (£45 each plus fee, booked a few months ahead. Makes you realise how expensive a night at the theatre in good seats with all adults / no discounts can be!)

Not a problem with the seats, but marginally with the production, is that in one scene in the second half the area immediately in front of the front row of the stalls becomes 'the trenches' , and it's not easy to see the actors. It doesn't really matter, but we could see that some others in the theatre could hear the actors but couldn't work out where they were . and when they did couldn't actually see them. But a minor point. We really enjoyed the show...our ages were 19 to 54! We see quite a lot of 'classic' theatre , outside London as well as in town, and felt that the ensemble playing was really good.

And we agree with the comment on this site about the toilets. Completely inadequate (ladies) and hard to get at (gents squeezing past queuing ladies) in a new build theatre. And it made for a long interval whilst the front of house manager ensured that everyone had got back to their seats, although ladies in our party report 'panic' amongst other queuing ladies that they'd miss the start. So might be an idea if management informed the queue that they wouldn't start without them!
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Matinee, 1st August 2009.

A full house - got tickets from TKTS Leicester Square, not half price but £10 cheaper.

Great play, fabulous horses. For me the main guy - Albert - had the weirdest accent ever, which put me off. It was really strange at first; I thought perhaps the character was supposed to be a simple country bumpkin type but I was wrong. A couple of the actors seemed little wooden, in fact the horse felt much more real then them.

However a great play; lighting, sound,staging excellent, and the actress playing the French girl was really good, as was Sergeant Thunder.
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My twin girls and I went on 26th August 2009, having read the book and being optimistic despite a poor experience at another show 3 days before. The theatre was superb, the staff brilliant and the seats (Stall O 31 to 33) were really very good indeed. I am over 6ft and had decent leg room as well as a splendid view and the full effect of the lights and sound. The play was simply superb. The stars being the horses and also the German lead - who acted with such passion. A wonderful event which has one warning - reads the book before you see the play.
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My family and I went to see a matinee performance of War Horse on Thursday, August 27th 2009. I loved the play, everything about it, but of course horses especially were amazing, even though you can see the people controlling them, you really believe it's a real horse. There was a standing ovation when the horses came on at the end for the bows.

Me and my two younger sisters sat in H 8, 9 and 10. These seats are normally £35, but £25 if you’re under 18 / look a bit like you might be under 18, at the matinee performances. These seats were great, really close to the stage and you still see everything even though you’re off to the side. However, for £35, I would say it might be better to go to the seats next door ( 5, 6, 7) and pay £10 less, or pay £10 more and sit in the middle. My parents and older sister (can’t get away with pretending to be under 18) sat in I 5, 6 and 7, and they said these seats were great too, with a good view. I would say that it’s definitely worth sitting in the stalls for this production because it’s all about emotions and the horses, so it’s great to get a close-up view. I’d definitely go the side seats rather than similarly priced seats in the circle.

Just to add, it was kids week when we went, which I didn’t realise when I booked and I was a bit worried when we got there and there were so many children sitting around us that there might be annoying noise (I know this makes me sound like a grumpy old person, I’m actually only 19, but I hate people talking at the theatre). But there was no problem at all from any of the children, not a peep. The woman sitting next to me, however, was such a pain. She kept making comments... “o that’s so sad”, “o that’s a tank”, “look at that horse” aaargh. Even the man she came with seemed to be annoyed by this inane chatter.
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I went to War Horse yesterday (17th September 2009) with my old friend from primary school. We were in Row A 5 and 6 so second row and on the aisle, which were perfect seats being so close to the action with at one point having the two Tommies sitting on the edge of the stage right by us.

My wife used to have horses, and both the horses (and foal at the start) was so like them in movements that they were breathtakingly accurate in their performance. Just like a real horse acts when it is frightened; inquisitive; thirsty; and the reaction to breaking in was great if inevitably rather quicker than it would be in real life.

Anyone who has served in the forces would also indentify with the enlistment and drill etc. It really highlights the end of the so called glamour of war. There was nothing glamorous about the trenches and the mud as any visit to the trenches at Ypres well demonstrates.

My wife would love the first part of the show, but as a pacifist there is no way I would be able to persuade her to go to see "War Horse." I am sure, though, the majority of my theatre goers will be bowled over by it and it will surely put any youngsters off wanting to go to war if they have any sense.

As mentioned in previous comment the lead actor playing Albert had a very strange accent that was somewhere between his Mothers obvious Irish and what was presumably an attempt at a Devon accent but the passion of his performance overcame any slight problem with the accent.

I was so impressed with the whole show I made enquiries as soon as I got home about booking for a group in January 2010.

Second visit, January 2010: Following my earlier report in September I took my coach group yesterday (the demand for tickets from my group was such that I had over 40 'reserves' so have booked another coach group for July 15th, I think it must have been The Queen and Prince Phillip giving the show Royal Approval by attending unnanounced, I think in November, and sitting in the stalls, that has created such public awareness, there are no boxes - not even a royal one). This show must now be one of the major theatre attractions currently running in London. I tried to buy just one more seat last week but there were none available, not even just one and when I enquired about booking for a second coach back in early January there were no decent seats available for mid week matinee groups before June, hence July.

My wife did come and I think she tried to shut her eyes and mind to the particular horrors of the bloodiest of all Wars but even she was full of praise for the horses and the incredible accuracy of how horses react when they are inquisitive, nervous, frightened or just hungry and thirsty. You just have to see it to understand or believe it. A previous comment was that the story line is too sugary in coincidences but if it did not have the story line as it is it would be just too much to be able to bare for many people and they would not be leaving the theatre, yes wiping tears from their eyes, but also with smiles and sighs of satisfaction of just having witnessed probably the most dramatic, emotional but also funny theatre experience they have ever had.

For soldiers to survive and still remain sane 'trench humour' was essential to raise spirits and there is much to lighten the mood led by that incredibly endearing goose who anyone who has ever lived or stayed on a farm with loose running geese will totally identify with. Anyone old enough to remember the film 'Friendly Persuasion' might feel that this goose was straight from that film.

Don't miss this show, it really is a mind blowing experience as everyone on my coach said as they got off last night. I've seen it twice and can't wait to go again with my second group in July.
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25th January 2010: I cannot recommend this superb show enough, I have to admit that one first impressions I was a bit dubious about life-size puppets bounding around the stage but my interest in both World Wars led me to take the plunge and buy the tickets. Am I glad that I made the decision, even though your one part of your brain is telling you it's just puppets on stage another part of your brain allows the actors controlling them to fade away from your view and in front of you are "real" horses, birds and a goose with great comedy timing.

It would appear that the book / play is being used at school so there were a few coach parties at our performance, I have to admit that it did concern me at first as I've had in the past bad experiences with teachers not controlling their students during performances so it ruins it for the other audience members. However, didn't have to worry at all this time as soon as the play began there wasn't a peep from the school kids sat near us.

I'm unable to find any fault with the production, the whole cast were fantastic especially the two actors who played Albert and the lead German who gave such amazing, emotional performances. So emotional that a number of the school party sat behind us were in tears, as too was a lady sat next to me. It's not difficult to see why either, the actors controlling the puppets must have studied in detail how horses behave as the puppets appeared to be real animals so it's rather easy for the audience to build up an emotional attachment.

Me and my brother were sat in the stalls, seats J24 & J25 and we cannot complain about either the view or comfort as there's plenty of legroom and it gave us a great view of the stage.

I've read that War Horse has now extended it's run until February 2011, I can't rule out another visit at some point to see this amazing production. Do yourself a favour and if you want to see theatre at it's best book yourselves a seat for War Horse, you won't be disappointed.
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15th July 2010. Have wanted to go and see this show for ages, local coach company was doing the trip, so it made it really easy.

Had seat M43, and when I went to door marked "rear of stalls", my heart sank. It shouldn't have done. The rake made for a great panoramic view. Couldn't see some of the cast that were joining in from the lower stalls, but in some ways it just made their appearance more magical.

Had seen the foal and horses on TV, but nothing can prepared me for their size, grace, power and well being a horse. Amazing acting, singing and puppetry in bringing this complex story of the futility of war, the number of innocents (human and animals) that it touches, maims and in some cases destroy.

Everyone should see show, it brings the magic of the theatre with human stories, I'd go again tonight if I could. Though take tissues, lots of tissues.
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'Wow,' is all I can say. A very moving and incredibly touching piece of theatre, and well worth the success that it is receiving.

A cast of very strong performances and is staged brilliantly. Well worth a visit or two. We sat on the 'Shelf' (theatremonkey's words, not mine lol), in row D. Dress Circle D 30 to 33 have a really good view of the stage, and nothing missed. The seats were really comfy and had high backs to them - which made it feel like an armchair. Pretty tight on legroom though, although I wasn't too cramped - like I have been in certain venues.

It was my first time to the New London. I thought it was a very nice theatre indeed, and look forward to going back sometime soon.

August 2010.
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It's been a while since I got to a show, but managed to grab a ticket for 'War Horse' last Wednesday night, 9th February 2011.

Got it from See Tickets (the official box office for this venue - editor), seat A84 Circle for £16.30 - inside a week prior (3rd February).

So: if looking straight at the stage,  this is front row side circle, left hand side of the stage. The front of the stage curve is a couple of metres to the right from this seat.
My first visit to this theatre, and I reckon that I got good value for money. For the price I expected a more restricted and uncomfortable view, but, with the front "wall" being metal wire square, there was visibility to action below - although I think those in row B would have missed quite a bit. I had clear view of around 80% of the action. Also, as a "larger" person, this was the most comfortable seat I have had in the West End. Wide enough, plenty of leg room, and soft enough seat. I'm a notorious fidget but hardly
shuffled here! Temperature fine too.

On to the show. It's a simple straight forward story, a simple "set" (a wavy back hang with a bit of projection on it). The stars for me are the "horses" and the puppeteers who control them. I guess too that the interaction with and from the actors adds, and you soon believe the horses are real. Coming from a rural background myself, I found the animation, nuances and subtle moves of the "horses" was superb. And thus the human actors relation to it.

Although this is not a musical, the additional songs, in mostly a "folk" style, do embellish, (but why do all those traditional folk singers put the same twang on their delivery?).

Possibly a few more stage pyrotechnics, "bang for bucks", and a couple of strobes in the war scenes would add a little more, but it's all about the horse(s). A lump in the throat towards the end, even though the expected outcome. If you saw the recent TV series Edwardian Farm (www.edwardianfarm.co.uk) you can perhaps imagine the root situation.

My final words, "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse" (Yeah, I know that should be RSC!), big up those puppeteers - outstanding (Oh and I had goose for Xmas dinner!).

Spielberg directing the movie, I look forward to the Hollywood blockbuster next winter.
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I went to see the matinee performance of 'War Horse' this Saturday (19th February 2011). I'd read the book and seen the reviews so I was keen to see how the story was portrayed on stage. I was not disappointed - it was AMAZING!

The puppetry was even better than I had hoped, not only visually but also the accompanying sounds, like the whinnying of the horse and their heavy hooves on the stage. It really did feel like there were horses on the stage - the puppeteers were amazing in their attention to detail, right down to the twitching of the horse's ears and the swish of their tails. Being seated in stalls A19 and A20, we were within touching distance of the stage, so we could see really clearly the detail of the horses and at one point thought we were in the trenches too!

I thought the staging in its simplicity and use of props was very effective, as was the revolving stage.

The lead roles along with the rest of the cast, who switched roles seamlessly, together with the horses (and the comical goose) provided a brilliant and very moving performance ... I really had to fight back the tears and my hands ached at the end from my enthusiastic applause. This really was everything I had hoped for and so much more .. I would highly recommend it.
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I attended the evening performance of 'War Horse' on February 23rd 2011.Sat in the stalls, seat I63. A fantastic view of the stage and you are close enough to really feel part of the production and to see the detail and expressions of the actors and the puppets. Even though it is on the side of the stage, for £27.50 midweek I thought this seat offered excellent value for money.

I came to 'War Horse' with high expectations, having read the book to my class in the run up to Remembrance Day, and having seen the 'Making of' documentary on TV.
My expectations were more than surpassed. This is a tour de force of a play. It is quite simply one of the most moving and powerful pieces of theatre I have ever seen. The story, the staging, the performances and the incredible puppets combine perfectly to create a production of passion, emotion and wonder. From the moment you first see the foal, to the grown horse, to the battlefields of World War 1 to the tragic but uplifting conclusion 'War Horse' grabs hold of you and doesn't let go.

From my seat you can see most of the audience in the New London Theatre and at one particular point I turned to look at their reaction to one of the scenes - and I can genuinely say that most of the audience were wiping tears from their eyes. The audience - of all ages, genders and backgrounds by the look of it - absolutely loved every second of it, many people still emotional as they left the theatre (me included). I have already booked to go back in July.

DO NOT MISS THIS PHENOMENAL SHOW!.

Richard Bradbury
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I enjoyed 'War Horse' very much. I wouldn't say it's the best written piece of theatre I've ever seen, but it's definitely moving and very well done. The horses are absolutely fantastic, you forget that they are puppets after a few minutes and get completely absorbed in the play so you don't even notice the puppeteers. I think that's why the play works so well and why you are able to get so involved with the horses that the ending is so moving and tense! The set is so simple but they manage to convey everything using very little and I think overall it's a very well done show. It was completely sold out and received a standing ovation at the end!

Stalls seats D 3 and 4 were brilliant, I felt close but not too close to the stage; we could see everything perfectly. There seems to be a good rake on the first four rows of the stalls, we were in row D and the people in front did not affect the view at all. I think the row behind us was on the same level though so I don't imagine the view from row E would have been as good. it reminded me very much of being in the Olivier at the National, it was the same kind of space.
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We saw 'War Horse' last night (18th June 2011) and had the best time ever at the theatre, the play was exhilarating, astonishing, absolutely amazing, could go on.... I want to go again!

Of course without Theatremonkey I would never have known to chose such great seats and here's my opinion on them!:

We sat in Row I of the stalls, seat numbers 29 and 30. A fantastic view. Central to the stage and on eye level with the actors. The rows are well graduated, with the seats in front of me being quite low, i.e. their heads were level with my knees, so no chance of being obstructed by the viewer in front. I think this is really important, and this theatre has got it spot on. Plenty of leg room. Forgot I was even in a theatre during the performance. The perfect seats in my opinion, and if I'm lucky enough to go again then I will try and get these seats again - can't give them a bigger thumbs up than that! They could easily sell as 'premium priced.'

If you haven't seen it, please go!
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May contain a spoiler.
I saw this production on Monday 20th June 2011 at 19.30hrs.
Stalls, row I (as in after H!) seat 61.

Having had so many people recommend this show to me I decided to book a ticket. As I always swear by using the Theatremonkey Website and book (if you haven’t got a copy of the book then buy one now as it’s superb!) to aid in deciding where to sit etc, I went for this seat at £27.50 It was an excellent seat in one of the best theatres I have ever been in for first class sight lines and seating (stadium style and, being 6ft 3,” lots of leg-room). The view couldn’t have been better and was very close to the stage but not intimidating so. If only all West End theatres offered views like this.

As I was sitting there waiting for it to start, taking it all in, my phone went and it was a couple of friends sitting 10 seats to my right. At the interval we had a chat and they were very miffed after asking me how much I paid as there’s were £65 each and the view was virtually the same! My parents have done the same as they are seeing it next week – they’ve paid £59 each. Get side tickets and look at the seating plan on Theatremonkey and you will save lots of cash! I booked via Seetickets, they weren’t discounted, just a normal ticket.

The show itself is superb. Beautifully staged with a simple, yet moving story. I have not experienced anything like this in theatre before so was glued to my seat in awe. The revolving stage is cleverly used.

At the start, the horse is only small and I began thinking, well is that it! Then the full size one comes on and takes your breath away. I got a waft of the smell of leather. The way the puppeteers manoeuvre these things is just beautiful, no other word would fit. I’m not a rural/horsy type person but recognised how realistic each movement was. Very majestic.

I began to imagine it was real for the purpose of the piece. The added folk type music and effects just add to the ambiance. Although touching and moving there is humour there which is superbly executed by the amazing cast. There is not a weak link in this cast and all deserve the highest praise. It must be exhausting for them all. The Tony awards were so well deserved. Bravo to all involved.
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Attended the evening performance on 22nd August 2011.

Sat with my family in seats H 3, 4 and 5: close to to the stage at the side for less £25 each (face value). Quite good, but when some of the scenes took place centre stage it was difficult to hear the dialogue at times. The scene were Albert and horse are galloping, slow motion like - which looked in impressive on the video trailer - totally lost sitting at this angle. I suppose for these reasons this is why these seats are much less to pay for than the centre.

The play itself I thought was good but not great. Maybe for me it was the case of "the imagination exceeding all events." I had read so many great reviews about this show but it did not live up to my expectations. The acting was very good and the puppeteers very impressive, but the play for me did lull at times - especially in the second act. The play demonstrated well the futility of horses being used in World War One. I was informed that this play was based on a children's book. This would explain why the story was simplistic and the end was too unbelievable for me.

Worth seeing, but get discounted centre stall seats.

Gary
Liverpool.
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29th August 2011.

I enjoyed the show as far as it went. It is, however, a show aimed primarily at children; anyone looking for clever hidden subtexts or surprise plot twists is going to be disappointed. And the 'Allo Allo' style German accents didn’t impress me. That said, the puppetry was very impressive and I can understand why others have enjoyed the show.

Seats A16 and 17 in the circle provide a decent view from the side - if you can put up with peering through the metal mesh in front to see some bits of the stage - and you do feel close to the action in a way that you wouldn’t do in many circles. The legroom will have anyone over 5ft 6 longing for the interval, and the seats are not very well padded, but at £16 a ticket they are still good value.

There are many stairs up to the circle, all of them covered in a tatty carpet that’s probably been there since the days of 'Cats.' I can’t help but think that the theatre needs a bit of TLC from Mr Lloyd Webber – scruffy tape covering worn or torn bits of carpet doesn’t exactly scream West End glamour.
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Wednesday 16th November 2011, 7.30pm performance.

I’ve wanted to see this show for a long time and finally got the opportunity to do so and I am so pleased that I did. The story is very simple: boy gets horse, boy trains horse, boy loses horse to war effort, boy joins war to find horse, boy finds horse. It is an adaptation of a children’s book, hence the linear story-telling, but covers very grown up topics – the nature of friendship and loyalty; the futility of war, for example.

There is not a single weak link in this production from what I saw – all the actors and puppeteers work incredibly hard for the entirety of the show. Some actors even having to learn lines in German and French as well as in English. It is simply an outstanding production.

Joey and Topthorn – the two principal horses – are beautifully realised by the Handspring Puppet Company and are so realistically brought to life by the puppeteers that you almost forget you are watching a puppet. The transformation of the foal Joey to the adult horse is simply breathtaking and sends shivers down the spine… Special mention also to The Goose..!

I saw the show from seat F49 in the Stalls – priced at £25. Absolutely excellent value for money, considering that two seats further into the centre the price jumps to £40! Yes, you do see some of the action ‘side-on’, but the sight lines are so utterly brilliant that you miss very little. These side stall seats are so close to the stage, that when the horses wander around, you can see the detail so clearly – I would actually rate the £25.00 seats in F and probably E as ‘green’ seats – what you get for what you pay is far superior to seating of similar price in other West End houses. Be warned if you sit in Row E, you need to keep all belongings under your seat and your legs tucked in as actors use the walkway numerous times during the show.

Overall, an absolutely enthralling and engaging evening – with exquisite and lifelike puppetry a key part of the show. I certainly would visit this show again.

Paul.
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