War Horse Returns to National Theatre with Refined Design

War Horse has returned to the National Theatre in London, running until 30 July 2026. Designer Rae Smith, who won a Tony for Best Scenic Design of a Play in 2011, has overseen drawings, costume, and set design for the production. The play, based on Michael Morpurgo's novel about a horse named Joey shipped to France during World War I, originally premiered at the National Theatre in 2007, transferred to the West End in 2009, and ran until 2016. It has toured globally and now returns to the Olivier stage. Smith uses screens for shadow puppets and drawings that evolve from sedate landscapes to expressionist, vorticist styles as characters enter battle. The horse Joey is controlled by three puppeteers from the Handspring Puppet Company. Smith describes the set as an environment rather than a set, designed to allow Joey's living, breathing idiosyncrasies to command the stage. The production incorporates animated shadow silhouettes and a tank shadow puppet to convey the terror of war.