‘War Horse’ Set to Close on Broadway January 13

“War Horse” will end its Broadway run next January.

The production that brought home the Best Play Tony in 2011 will have its final performance on January 6, 2013 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, producers announced recently. At that time, it will have played 718 regular performances along with 33 previews.

Andre Bishop, artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, spoke of the production in the statement announcing the closing.

“It has been our great honor and pleasure to help bring ‘War Horse’ to Broadway,” he said. “‘War Horse’ is that rare play that brings joy to everyone it touches – from the most avid theatergoers to children, seeing their first Broadway show. There are few theatrical experiences that can be categorized as truly magical and everyone at LCT is thrilled to have been a part of this one.”

The play is adapted from the 1982 children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, and recounts the experience of a horse name Joey that was purchased by the British Army for use in World War I. The first version of the play appeared Off-West End in London in 2007, and opened on West End in 2009, where it still plays. A U.S. national tour of “War Horse” began earlier this year.

“From its earliest days at the National Theatre workshop, ‘War Horse’ has been a very special and unique project,” said Nick Starr, executive director of the National Theatre of Great Britain, in the release. “Its journey from a rehearsal space to the National Theatre stage to Tony Award-winning play and international sensation has been thrilling and unprecedented. In 2013, ‘War Horse’ will launch productions in Australia and Berlin, plus a UK tour, and planning is already underway for engagements in Asia and South Africa.”

The horse in the play is a series of life-sized puppets built by the Handspring Puppet Company.