Broadway often gets a bad rap. It is known for its penchant for the big Broadway musical with far more elaborate set designs, costumes, light designs, and musicals than the actual plot. Perhaps that is why biopic jukebox musicals and Wicked are so revered and have such staying power, because they either rely on some sort of inherently dramatic story (a biopic) or are inspired by a concerted effort to reframe an old story (Wicked). But every once in a while the New York theater scene redeems itself outside of the musical genre by embracing a touching story (especially if it is from the UK) and that 2011 British import is War Horse.

War Horse tickets actually just about sold out for its limited engagement at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in the Lincoln Center. Yes, the Lincoln Center is not quite a Broadway venue. It is neither in the theater district nor Time Square. It appeals to a more refined theatrical taste (the four years of management by the New York Shakespeare Festival company in the mid-1970s has had a wonderful lingering effect) and even has a smaller theater for the Off-Broadway breed of production.

Still, this sentimental story of a boy and his love for his horse set against the hell on Earth known as the trenches in World War I is inspirational as it is heart wrenching. It is a reminder that while Arcadia can only sustain a limited run in the modern theatrical economic world, there is a place for a longer look at a story not backed by the music of ABBA or penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Last week it was announced that the American production of War Horse will enjoy an open run at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Critics and patrons have been impressed with the sentimentality of the story and the work of arts that are the puppets from the Handspring Puppet Company. It also helps that the theatrical production that has been adopted from a children’s book by Michael Morpurgo is being adapted for the silver screen by Steven Spielberg. Combine impressive box office numbers, positive reviews and some influential free press and you have a limited engagement for a stage drama.