Author draws fans in on harrowing journey

The author of War Horse will give a reading of his work in Southwell Minster next month as part of the Lowdham Book Festival.

Michael Morpurgo, one of the UK’S greatest storytellers, will be joined by BBC Radio 2 folk award winners, John Tams and Barry Coope for the concert on September 24 at 7.30pm.

Co-organiser Ross Bradshaw, of Five Leaves Publications, said: “Michael Morpurgo has the unique gift of talking of generations.

“He is one of our foremost storytellers and never more so than when he appears in public to read from his books out loud.

“On these rare occasions there is a remarkable coalescence between the writer and the performer — an experience unique to the moment.

“To actually hear the man who made the marks on the blank page tell his story to you is nothing less than a privilege.”

John and Barry, from Derbyshire, cradle the story with music especially written and adapted for the theatre by John.

War Horse is a powerful story, told through the eyes of a horse.

It moves from life on a farm in peaceful Devon to survival on the Western Front in the first world war — a horse who didn’t have the human frailty of taking sides.

The epic story will take about 90 minutes to tell. There will be no interval, just extraordinary storytelling and heart-rending music.

The production is suitable for children aged 10 and over.

Tickets are available from The Bookcase, Lowdham, on 0115 966 3219.

War Horse, the theatre production, is the most successful show The National Theatre on London’s South Bank has produced. It has been performed to full houses for the past six years. It is currently playing on Broadway.

A 15-month UK tour starts in the autumn.