Having wrapped up a tremendously successful one-year tour in China last year, the Chinese version of the stage play "War Horse" is returning to Beijing. A dozen performances are slated for the summer season, as Joey the War Horse giddies up for his 200th show.

Popular stage play heralds its 200th show in BJ

Joey the War Horse is no stranger to the National Theatre of China. Since its premiere last September, the Chinese version of the stage production has become a cultural phenomenon, having been staged 190 times in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Harbin, and watched by more than 200,000 people. It has also set a record as the production that reached its 100th run in the shortest time in the history of the National Theater of China.

The Chinese language version of "War Horse" is the result of a two-year collaboration between London's National Theatre and the National Theatre of China. Based on the eponymous children's book by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse tells the story of the friendship between an English farmboy Albert and his courageous horse Joey during World War I.

Joey is considered one of the most enduring example of theatrical magic ever created. Manipulated by three puppeteers, the life-sized steel horse takes on a life of its own. More than 1,000 actors auditioned for the part of the puppeteers, but only 15 eventually made it to the final round. Since then they have undergone vigorous training under the auspices of British directors, including living on a horse range for weeks to study the animal in proximity.

"There will definitely be improvement for the second round of run, not necessarily the show structure, but the on-stage communication and the rapport among actors. It's like a photo that we again and again magnify its resolution, and to perfect it in every possible way we can imagine," said director Liu Dan.

The English language version of War Horse, which premiered in 2007, is among the celebrated repertoire of London's National Theatre. It has been staged more than 4,000 times worldwide in German, Dutch, English and Chinese.

"It is our responsibility to not only introduce to the world our Chinese culture, but also to bring in top-notch international stage productions, so that our audience will have the chance to enjoy good quality shows without going abroad," said Zhou Yuyuan, President of National Theatre of China.

The Chinese version of "War Horse" will greet audiences at the National Theatre of China from July 29 to August 14.

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