The acclaimed theatre production, which has had two runs in Salford in the last twelve months, will have been seen by more than 200,000 theatregoers at the Salford Quays venue by the final performance this coming weekend.
The current run, which began on 23 July, has added a further £6.6m economic boost to the £8.9m provided by the first run, which ran from 20 November 2013 to 18 January 2014. It saw another 84,000 people see the show at The Lowry, during what is traditionally a quiet period for the theatre.
Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “War Horse bows out at The Lowry our most popular production ever – and leaves behind not only great memories of the Michael Morpurgo tale, but also a concrete example of the value of the arts and the wider visitor economy to the local area.
“The National Theatre was one of the very first partnerships we established when we opened in 2000 and they continue to deliver for our audiences year after year. Whilst we are all very sad to be saying farewell to this particular show – we look forward to welcoming the National back this Christmas for the opening performance of their UK tour of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, which is itself a multiple Olivier-winning production – followed by the return of Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors, directed by Nick Hytner.”
Chris Harper, general manager of National Theatre Productions said: ‘The Lowry and our amazing audiences in the North West are special to the National Theatre, and we have been overwhelmed by the positive response to War Horse. As the show moves on at the end of this week, down the road to Stoke-on-Trent before flying on to South Africa, I know that the company will take with them treasured memories of their time in Salford. Michael Morpurgo was keen to celebrate the success of the show in the city and will be joining the cast for a special cameo on Thursday (18 Sept).
“We look forward to strengthening our relationship with The Lowry when we bring The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and One Man, Two Guvnors to The Lowry over Christmas and the New Year.”
To celebrate to show’s final week in Salford – and to bid Joey farewell – 100 of The Lowry’s volunteer ushers took to the stage for a group photograph.
The Volunteer Involvement Programme (or VIPs as they are affectionately known) has 294 members, ranging in age from 18 to 90. The scheme includes some 17 married couples and individuals with a range of professions, including midwives, solicitors, policemen and a vet.
The UK & Ireland tour of War Horse continues with a two week run at The Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent (24 Sept – 11 Oct) before a final one month run at the Bristol Hippodrome (14 Jan – 14 Feb 2015)
