WAR HORSE to Open 1/28 at The Bushnell

The National Theatre of Great Britain's epic War Horse, winner of five 2011 Tony Awards including Best Play, will make its Connecticut premiere at The Bushnell's Mortensen Hall January 28. Based on Michael Morpurgo's beloved novel, War Horse, the play is also the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's feature film of the same name, which earned six Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

War Horse runs at The Bushnell through February 2. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Ticket prices start at $29.00. Tickets are available online at www.bushnell.org, by phone at 860-987-5900, or at The Bushnell box office, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford. Press night for War Horse is Tuesday, January 28.

Hailed by The New York Times as "theatrical magic," War Horse is the powerful story of young Albert's beloved horse, Joey, who has been enlisted to fight for the English in World War I. In a tale the New York Daily News calls "spellbinding, by turns epic and intimate," Joey is caught in enemy crossfire and ends up serving both sides of the war before landing in no man's land. Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home. What follows is a remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, filled with stirring music and songs and told with the some of the most innovative stagecraft of our time.

The tour of War Horse, which was adapted from the book by Nick Stafford, is directed by Bijan Sheibani based on the original Tony Award-winning direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company. At the heart of the show are life-sized puppets which bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.

In addition to Best Play, War Horse received Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Play (Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Rae Smith), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Paule Constable), and Best Sound Design of a Play (Christopher Shutt). A Special Tony Award was given to Handspring Puppet Company for their integral work on the production.

War Horse received its World Premiere in a limited engagement at the National's Olivier Theatre in 2007. The play returned to the National Theatre for a second run playing from in 2008-2009 before transferring to the West End's New London Theatre in Spring 2009 where it continues to play an open-ended run. The American premiere was in spring 2011 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York's Lincoln Center. The lead producers of the National Tour of War Horse are Bob Boyett and The National Theatre of Great Britain.

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