AFTER what seemed like a very long wait, the much-anticipated War Horse finally galloped onto the stage of The Mayflower, straight from the West End where it has enjoyed phenomenal success.

The Southampton theatre is fortunate to enjoy regular performances of London productions and it was obvious from the packed venue that many others had been waiting with the same excitement.

And the wait was definitely worth it.

From the moment the foal version of Joey, the equine hero of the story, stepped onto stage, I was mesmerised.

Not only did the story contain all of the highs and lows of a good tear-jerker, but the effortless puppetry made the show.

Although, I was intrigued by the way that the two main life-size horses were controlled by just three men each, it did not subtract attention from the story and by the end I was completely taken in by the expressiveness of the strikingly realistic creatures.

And the heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting, finale of the show was brilliantly convincing when the relationship between young soldier Albert and his horse Joey shone through, leaving not many a dry eye in the theatre.

The stars of the show – the two horses – were excellently supported by a large and professional cast, including Lee Armstrong as Albert Narracott and Karen Henthorn who played Rose Narracott. There was also light relief in the form of a puppet goose with perfect comic timing.

The story is kept simple – focusing on the mostly forgotten equine heroes of the First World War – and needs little special effects and scenery, leaving the actors and puppet masters to tell the powerful tale as it was intended by author Michael Morpurgo.

JEN RIVETT