Matthew Murphy
The 2006 novel Water for Elephants was written by Sara Gruen and was generally well-received — Sara has also said that the story generally parallels the biblical story of Jacob … although I really find the connective tissue to be thin at best. In 2011 a movie based on the book came out, adding a lot more drama and received fairly mixed reviews. The musical is more directly inspired by the book than the movie adaptation, with a book by Rick Elice and music by folk indie group PigPen Theatre Co.
The show absolutely sounds like that sort of style, in the typical modern blend of big showy pieces, plaintive ‘I want more’ numbers or similar emotional ballads, and blended talk/singing ones. The story is honestly a bit thin, with a resolution that does not hit particularly hard, despite the musical style of the final number. We follow an old man, Jacob Jankowski (played by Robert Tully, who keeps a pretty good sense of timing and has a decent voice) as he tells the story of how he once worked at a circus as a young man (played by Zachary Keller, with a booming voice and impressive physicality).
Jacob gets involved with a whole troupe of circus folk — friendly but broken down Camel (a charismatic Javier Garcia), snippy clown Walter (a highly engaging Tyler West), gruff foreman Wade (Grant Huneycutt in a demanding physical and vocal role) and Barbara (Ruby Gibbs — who doesn’t appear much but makes the most of each of her lines). But he also meets performer Marlena (Helen Krushinski in a killer performance, both in terms of singing and dancing) and ringmaster August (Connor Sullivan in a well done villainous role).
Matthew Murphy
Jacob was a vet student before dropping out, so he connects with Marlena over her performances with her beloved horse — and August recognizes this potential threat even at the start, but allows him to join despite that. Naturally we also eventually meet ‘Rosie’ the elephant, which is cleverly performed with varying types of puppets, including a full standing one managed by three people.
Throughout the play, the ensemble of exceptional acrobats (including Fran Alvarez Jara, Yves Artieres, Adam Fullick, Nancy Gutierrez, and Serafina Walker of particular note) showcasing some jawdropping and death-defying acts. The choreography is among the better I’ve seen live, certainly, and always impressive even if sometimes the alignment choices with music feel a bit arbitrary. Not that I really minded that much about it.
The cast in general are excellent singers, with leads Zachary Keller and Helen Krushinski giving powerhouse performances throughout — although in general everyone is good. I suppose my issue is that the lyrics are a bit simple, the musical structure a bit derivative, and most of the songs a bit forgettable. Some do stand out from the rest, but many just feel almost like background music for the ensemble to show off their impressive skills.
Matthew Murphy
The story is also really just fine — after reading more about the adaptation here versus the movie and the original material, it holds pretty closely to the book for the most part. Ultimately you can only do so much with adaptations, and the story is still the story. But I do feel like although the musical itself isn’t the strongest, the cast is winning and the ensemble so talented that I got a little stressed out at times watching them. That may not be a ringing endorsement, but it was a good time overall, if not the highlight of musicals I’ve seen.
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 December 14 at Washington DC’s National Theatre. Other cities on the tour include Durham, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Nashville, 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.
