Matthew Murphy
And so a new theatre season begins and it is sure to be an exciting one with a three brand new tours launching this year at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. November will bring a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic The Phantom of the Opera, with an all-new production, and coming in 2026 is Tony Award winning The Great Gatsby. The season kicks off with a musical adaptation of a feature film adaptation of the popular 2006 novel, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The film adaptation was released in 2011 and starred Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, and the Broadway musical opened in 2024, notably the first project for Grant Gustin following his stint on The CW as The Flash. While the show played just 300 performances, it earned seven Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Book of a Musical. Now the Kinkers and Rousts have packed up the Big Top and are hitting the road across the US and Canada.
Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob Jankowski (Robert Tully), first seen as a senior citizen visiting the traveling O’Brien’s One-Ring Circus just before it leaves town. There he meets Charlie (Connor Sullivan) and June (Helen Krushinski) and begins to tell them of a time in his youth when he worked for a circus, Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, infamous for a spectacular disaster which Jacob was a part of. As he relates his story, the younger Jacob (Zachary Keller) is seen boarding a train, unaware he’s hopped aboard a circus train and the denizens of the circus aren’t thrilled to have a hobo on board. Before he can get kicked off, a man named Camel (Javier Garcia) asks the young man where he’s going to which Jacob replies vaguely that he’s going anywhere west. Camel can sense that Jacob is running from something and eventually learns that Jacob’s parents died in an auto accident and the bank now owns the house he grew up in, so he just wants to get away and start a new life. Camel takes some pity on Jacob and in exchange for his passage on the train, he will work with the circus for one day at their next stop. Once the company is settled in, Jacob walks in on Marlena, who is comforting her injured horse Silver Star. Jacob happened to be studying veterinary medicine, following in his father’s footsteps, before the tragic accident which prevented him from graduating. But he knows enough to see that the horse’s injury is not promising for recovery, and he tells the ringmaster August (Connor Sullivan) that the horse may have to be put down, unaware that Silver Star and Marlena are the circus’ star attractions. August is impressed with Jacob’s knowledge, and after a bit of hazing he offers Jacob the job of circus veterinarian for $3.00 a week. Jacob just wants to move on, but as he begins to become familiar with the menagerie and the performers, he decides to stay but he has to make the heart-wrenching decision to put Silver Star down, leaving the company without its audience draw. But there is a now-defunct circus selling off all of its animals, but by the time August and company arrive there is only one animal left — a 60-year-old elephant named Rosie. Jacob and Marlena are thrilled, and August gives them just three weeks to train the beast. When it seems the training is going nowhere, which is putting the circus in danger of closing up shop, August begins to abuse Rosie with a bullhook. Marlena tells Jacob that August is prone to fits of rage, and when August begins to see that the relationship between Marlena and Jacob is growing closer, he lashes out at her and then reveals to Jacob that she is his wife. As the circus sets up in Chicago, it’s time for Rosie to make her first appearance but she won’t cooperate, leading August to nearly beat her with the bullhook again. Rosie knocks August down with her trunk and is about to step on him when Jacob yells ‘zostań’, the Polish word for ‘stop’. Jacob is Polish and Rosie’s former trainer was Polish so now that he can communicate with her, the training goes much better and the circus is saved. And that’s just Act I.
In Act II, the circus has become a financial success thanks to Rosie, and Jacob has been teaching the kinkers and rousts (the performers and crew) Polish, but some of the others notice the spark between Jacob and Marlena and warn him to stay away because his actions with Marlena would have a domino effect on them all, perhaps leading to the closure of the circus if August gets too out of hand. Jacob decides to leave the circus under the pretense that he is taking Camel to a doctor because of his deteriorating physical condition, telling Marlena that he will stay with Camel and help take care of him. But August sees how upset his wife is at this news and accuses her of cheating on him, the two exchanging blows. Jacob and Marlena disappear, and because Walter (Tyler West), the circus’ clown, and Camel stuck up for Jacob, August orders Wade (Grant Huneycutt) to ‘red-light’ them both before they reach their next destination … which means throwing them off the moving train as it goes over a bridge. Marlena has taken refuse in a hotel and Jacob manages to find her, and while they are now free to be together they both agree to go back to the circus for Rosie, and Marlena will accept August’s apology and everything will be back to square one, but they will leave with Rosie once the performance is over. After Marlena and August make up, Jacob very nearly does the unthinkable and kills him while he’s napping, but he can’t go through with it. But during that night’s show it seems Wade, in a fit of anger about being forced to murder his friends, unlocks the animals’ cages, causing a horrific stampede, causing many deaths, and leaving Jacob, Marlena, August and Rosie as the only ones left in the circus tent wondering how or if any of them will get out alive. Of course, as Jacob is the storyteller he does survive with a major story to tell, but he also is left with a decision — to return to his nursing home all alone or, perhaps, run off with the circus again.
Matthew Murphy
It’s always exciting to get to see a new show just as it is about to hit the road like Baltimore audiences did with the 2023 revival of The Wiz and 2024’s Peter Pan. Though the company has been rehearsing for some time, and while this is an established show, it must be a very different feeling to get that energy from the audience when they finally get to perform for a crowd of people every night. The question with a new production must always be to those investing their time, energy and money into it is this a project that will appeal to a wide audience, and is this show good enough to take on the road? It does seem an odd choice to mount a show as massive as Water for Elephants as a touring production considering the Broadway show ran for less than a year and didn’t win any of its seven Tony nominations. Is there an audience out there familiar enough with the show — perhaps the Grant Gustin fans know of it more than others — the movie or the novel? That is something that only time will tell.
As it stands now, Water for Elephants is already running like a well-oiled machine. The Lighting Design by Bradley King beautifully highlights each scene and is put to good use in scenes on a moving train. David I. Reynoso’s Costume Designs feel period appropriate (Depression-era) and the everyday clothing worn by the characters aren’t flashy and feel lived in. They contrast nicely with the bold and brightly colored circus outfits that are really beautiful. The Scenic Design by Takeshi Kata and Production Design by David Bengali evokes everything from a circus camp to the Big Top to train cars without being too literal (especially with the train cars). You are allowed to fill in the pieces with your imagination. This production also uses a video wall as a backdrop in some scenes, notable the outdoor scenes but it could have been used a bit more, such as in any scene when the train is moving. The actors are doing their thing shaking like the train is vibrating and wispy clouds move on the screen in whatever direction the train is supposed to be moving but … the scenery itself remains static. It feels like a missed opportunity when other shows with video walls animate the scenery to match the action on stage. As there are circus animals as part of the show, there is puppetry involved as well but these animal puppets by Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman and Camille Labarre are a bit more whimsical, more representative of the animals rather than full-scale The Lion King types of puppets. Like with the scenery, you can fill in the pieces. One of the standout pieces though is Silver Star, the horse, which is basically a head and mane with a long piece of material, operated by Yves Artieres who, while Marlena is cradling the head, Artieres gives an emotional performance as the injured animal using the white material like silks to perform some amazing acrobatics high above the stage. It was a lovely and moving moment. Rosie, of course, if the major puppet and at first is only seen in silhouette or as a trunk operated by one of the puppeteers. Then legs appear and finally a full-scale Rosie makes her appearance at the end of Act I and she is just wonderful. All of the puppeteers — Ella Huestis, Bradley Parrish, John Neurohr, Carl Robinette and Grant Huneycutt do a remarkable job of bringing her to life to the point that we actually worry about her when Marlena and Jacob slip away from the circus, leaving her alone with August.
Tour Director Ryan Emmons has done a masterful job at putting all of the pieces together to make this show work and flow as smoothly as it does because there are a lot of moving pieces where things could go terribly wrong. Working together with Lighting Director Bradley King, the two have also created a truly memorable moment with the circus stampede that has to be seen to be truly appreciated. It was a truly electrifying moment in the show. The Choreography by Jesse Robb and Shana Carrol is vibrant in the group numbers, at times a little Fosse-esque, and Carrol’s circus choreography is truly stunning, particularly when the performers are flying high above the stage without a net or any types of harnesses (all of the circus performers in the show are graduate of various circus schools so they know their stuff — and they can sing too!). The only thing that lets the show down is the story. It’s a pretty simplistic and familiar tale of forbidden love with a circus as a backdrop. It doesn’t feel as dynamic as it needs to be, and it’s nearly impossible not to compare it to the reimagined version of Pippin that also placed its character in a circus environment. That show crackled with energy and while Water for Elephants has its moments, it just plays out mostly flat with a few highlights (like Rosie and the stampede). Pippin also has some great songs, and Water for Elephants has good songs that help forward the story, but there are no showstopping solo moments (even though Jacob and Marlena do have their own solos), and the finale with the entire cast comes before the story ends on a very quiet note.
The cast works hard to give the show some spark. Zachary Keller is terrific as young Jacob, wearing his wide-eyed innocence on his sleeve, carrying a lot of the dramatic weight of the story on his shoulders, and also tossing of a couple of funny lines as well. Helen Krushinski is wonderful as Marlena and June, giving the two characters very different personalities. She has a nice connection with Keller, making the relationship between Marlena and Jacob feel authentic, and she makes you believe Silver Star and Rosie are real live animals. Connor Sullivan also does a nice job of giving August and Charlie two completely different personalities. His August, the ringmaster and the man who keeps the circus running, always has an undercurrent of danger about him, even in moments when he’s supposed to be happy or upbeat. The way he turns on Marlena and Rosie, and can easily order the murder of two of his closest ‘friends’ in the circus is quite chilling and Sullivan does a masterful job. Robert Tully is also very good as the older Jacob as he tells his story, and then gives us a glimpse into how he ended up at the circus that day. Very nice performances all around from the lead players.
Ably assisting them are Javier Garcia as Camel, the conscience of the circus, the man who always tries to do what’s right and pays for that kindness in the end. Grant Huneycutt is very imposing as Wade, August’s muscle, his lackey to a point, perhaps his eyes and ears among the crew and performers, but a man who gets pushed too far after being forced to kill his friends. Tyler West is excellent as the clown, Walter, at first kind of vicious to Jacob when he shows up on the train, but after Jacob helps his precious pup after an illness, he begins to soften towards the young man and joins in with Camel and Barbara to warn him to stay away from Marlena. His demise is actually quite shocking because he seems so close to August. Ruby Gibbs is also great as Barbara and she really gets to shine with her powerful voice in the Act II number ‘Squeaky Wheel’. All of the cast have lovely voices, but Keller and Krushinski in particular are sometimes drowned out by the music as they have to deliver some emotional lyrics that require more of a quiet tone than a big belt.
Matthew Murphy
When the stage really comes to life is when the circus performers are there doing their things without a safety net, at times quite heartstopping. So a very special shout out to Fran Alvarez Jara, Yves Artieres, Adam Fullick, Nancy Gutierrez, Ella Huestis, ZaKeyia Lacey, Sam Kellar-Long, John Neurohr, Bradley Parrish, Carl Robinett, Serafina Walker and Yemie Woo for all the amazing work they do to bring the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.
Water for Elephants is entertaining even with its familiar story, but the circus setting helps set it apart from other ‘forbidden romance’ stories. It has wonderful production elements, amazing puppetry and circus performances, and an able and talented cast who help bring it all to life. The story just needs a little something more to give it that oomph that will make audiences want to see the show again and again.
Water for Elephants runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. Recommended for ages 8 and up, though there are adult themes and suggestions of murder and animal abuse. Includes smoke, haze and gunshot sound effects.
Water for Elephants runs through October 4 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the tour include Grand Rapids, Tampa, Orlando,, Providence, Washington DC, Durham, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Hartford, Chicago, Toronto and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Water for Elephants The Musical
Water for Elephants The Musical
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
