Academy of Music Broadway Season Begins With WAR HORSE, 11/20-12/2

The National Theatre's epic War Horse, winner of five 2011 Tony Awards, including Best Play, will make its Philadelphia premiere for a two-week limited engagement from November 20 through December 2 at the Academy of Music, kicking off the 2012-13 Broadway Season presented by The KimMel Center and The Shubert Organization.

Tickets starting at $25 are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999,  on kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the KimMel Center box office (Broad & Spruce Sts. Open daily 10 am to 6 pm) or at the Academy of Music box office (Broad & Locust Sts. Open during performances only). Groups of 10 or more will receive discounts for select performances by calling 215-790-5883 or 866-276-2947.

Performances include: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm; Friday & Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m.; matinees Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m., with an additional weekday matinee on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. No performances are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 22, Thanksgiving Day.

Michael Morpurgo's novel, War Horse, is also the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's feature film of the same name, which has garnered six Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

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, based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo and adapted by Nick Stafford, will be 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. War Horse has been seen by almost 2 million people worldwide.

The lead producers of the National Tour of War Horse are Bob Boyett and The National Theatre of Great Britain.

The 2012-2013 Broadway Season is presented by The KimMel Center and The Shubert Organization with productions at the Academy of Music, Forrest Theatre and Merriam Theater. Season ticket packages are still available by calling 215-893-1955 or online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway1213.

In addition to War Horse the new 2012-13 Broadway Season includes: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (Dec. 11 - 16); JEKYLL & HYDE (Dec. 26 - 30), both at the Forrest Theatre; CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Jan. 15 - 20); PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT (Feb. 26 - March 3); THE ADDAMS FAMILY (March 19 - 24); and SISTER ACT (April 2 - 7), all at the Academy of Music. The new season will also feature additional shows including: LES MISERABLES (Jan. 2 - 13) at the Academy of Music; CIRQUE ELOIZE's iD (Dec. 26 - 30), Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT (Feb. 12 - 17); BLUE MAN GROUP (March 5 - 10); Rock of Ages (June 14 - 16), all at the Merriam Theater; and the return of WICKED (June 26 - Aug. 4) for an extended summer engagment at the Academy of Music.

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff/Mogenburg

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