Think about it. How many musicals about circuses (circii?) do you know? Of course, there’s Barnum. There’s the upcoming stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman in 2027. And there’s … there’s … Bronco Billy The Musical? No, that’s about a Wild West Show. There’s the song “Where Does An Elephant Go?“, but that’s not about a circus.
The point is: That for as entertaining and theatrical the spectacle of a big top is, it hasn’t led to all that many stage adaptions of the form. The latest one of grace the stage is Water for Elephants, an adaptation of 2011 film of the same name., which we saw last night at the Hollywood Pantages.
Reading through the movie’s synopsis, there are some slight changes from that story, but the essential beats are there. The essence is that the story is being told by an older Jacob Jankowski when he is visiting a local circus. It seems that, as a young man, after losing his parents to a car accident and his home to the depression, he jumps a circus train. He jumps the train of a down and out circus, and joins as their vet. They acquire an elephant, and he starts to fall in love with her trainer/performer. The problem is: She’s the wife of the ringmaster, and he has a cruel streak. I think you can take it from there, but suffice it to say that elephants never forget how they are treated, be it with kindness or cruelty.
I’ll note that I’d only seen snippets of the movie going in, and had heard the cast album, so I knew basic story beats but not the details. I really enjoyed this show, and there were a number of things that made this show stand out for me.
First (and one rarely says this) there was the pre-show music. It was some of the best New Orleans Jazz I’ve heard in a long time. I walked down during intermission and spoke to the conductor. She indicated it was pre-recorded, but would need to look up the details. I emailed subscriber services and will hopefully get them, but it was just wonderful.
Second was the music. The folks behind the music and lyrics for this show, Pigpen Theatre Company, are a surprising folk music group that does theatrical music. I won’t say all songs were hits for me, but some are just spectacular. Songs like “Zostań” or “The Road Don’t Make You Young” or “The Lion Has Got No Teeth” are just spectacular. When I got home, I jumped onto Amazon and picked up the group’s first album.
Third was the puppetry. This show makes an interesting combination of actors in costume and puppetry for the menagerie of animals, and the puppetry aspect is wonderful. From simple effects to create Silver Star, the horse; to the suggestive aspects to create the lion, to the substantial effects used to create Rosie the Elephant: it was all wonderful. This was combined with a great lighting design that utilized shadows to create even stronger allusions.
Fourth was the acrobatics. We all know theatre song and dance, which for the most part is earthbound. This show brought in strong acrobatics of the Cirque Du Soleil variety: aerial swoops and juggling and tricks and all sorts of wonderous magic. It is unlike what you see in other shows (except perhaps some of the cheers in Bring It On).
Fifth was the staging. Unlike the show that just bussed out of the Pantages, Beauty and the Beast, this was not a show built on projections. It was built on suggestions and theatrical magic, of the conventional, not Disney® kind. Rolling scaffolding became circus trains. Animals were puppets and shadows. The focus was on people and performances, not technology. This was theatre.
Lastly, but not leastly, was the performances. We had circus performers (read the credits) doing a wonderful job with stage and scripted performances on top of their acrobatics. We had leads (Zachary Keller as Jacob and Helen Krushinski as Marlena) with a strong chemistry (which evidently wasn’t the case in the movie). Connor Sullivan was strong as the ringmaster August. I loved Javier Garcia’s Camel and Tyler West’s Walter. I also appreciated that the casting team didn’t cast with the typical slender showgirl mold in mind. The shapes were realistic, and that also made the performances a joy to watch. Just a really really strong cast.
What was weak about the show? I think the story might not be to everyone’s taste, especially with the domestic violence aspects of it. Those that do evil do get what they deserve, but people you grow to like die, and people are hurt. That’s a downer for some.
Would I recommend that you see the show? Yes. Forget the Disney magic of projects and Lion King puppets. This is the real thing: An enjoyable 2 hours and 2 minutes of theatrical magic that will leave you smiling through the show. Bring a sweater, it’s cold in the Pantages. For more information and tickets, see the Broadway in Hollywood Water for Elephants page.
Credits
Water for Elephants. Book by Rick Elice. Music and Lyrics by Pigpen Theatre Co. Based on the novel by Sara Gruen. Original Direction by Jessica Stone.
Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]: Zachary Keller Jacob Jankowski; Helen Krushinski Marlena / June; Connor Sullivan August / Charlie; Robert Tully Older Jacob Jankowski; Javier Garcia Camel; Ruby Gibbs Barbara; Grant Huneycutt Wade, Rosie (an elephant); Tyler West Walter; Yves Artières Silver Star (a horse) / Kinker & Roust; Gabriela Diaz Agnes (an orangutan) / Kinker & Roust; Adam Fullick Rex (a lion) / Kinker & Roust; Ella Huestis ↑ Summer Severin Rosie (an elephant) / Nurse Rosemary / Kinker & Roust; Zakeyia Lacey Vera / Kinker & Roust; Jose Martinez Kinker & Roust; John Neurohr Caretaker / Rosie (an elephant) / Kinker & Roust; Bradley Parrish Sal / Rosie (an elephant) / Worker / Kinker & Roust; Carl Robinett Rosie (an elephant) / Orderly / Kinker & Roust; Serafina Walker Kinker & Roust, Circus Captain; Yemie Woo Sue / Kinker & Roust; Kayden Woodrige Kinker & Roust. Swings: Chris Carsten, Glenn Doyle, Andrew Meier Fight Captain, Marina Mendoza Circus Captain, ↑ Summer Severin Dance Captain.
Music Department (🌴 indicates local): Pigpen Theatre Co. Music and Lyrics; Benedict Braxton-Smith Music Supervisor, Co-Arranger & Co-Orchestrator; Daryl Waters Co-Orchestrator; August Eriksmoen Co-Orchestrator; Mary-Mitchell Campbell Co-Arranger; Sarah Pool Music Director, Conductor, Keyboard 1, Harmonica; Cameron Edmiston Assoc Conductor, Keyboard 2; Hope Chernesky Violin, Concert Master; Tristan Shafran Reeds; Cort Baussmann Trumpet; Millisa Henderson Guitars; Bakari Williams Acoustic/Electric Bass; Spencer Inch Drums, Percussion; 🌴 Jeff Driskill Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax, Bari Sax; 🌴 Aaron Smith Trumpet, Flugelhorn; 🌴 Dan Lutz Acoustic Bass, 5-String Electric Bass; 🌴 Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor; John Mezzio Music Coordinator; Randy Cohen / Randy Cohen Keyboards Keyboard Programming; Sam Starobin, Drew Nichols, Nick, Schenkel, Tim Crook Associate Keyboard Programmers; Julianne B. Merrill, Patchmaster Productions Playback Engineer; Lexi Vollero, PatchMaster Productions Assoc Playback Engineer; Emily Grishman Music Perparation/Adriana Grace Music Copying.
Production and Creative: Rick Elice Book; Pigpen Theatre Co Music & Lyrics; Sara Gruen Novelist; Jessica Stone Original Director; Shana Carroll Circus Designer & Co-Choreographer; Jesse Robb Co-Choreographer; Ryan Emmons Tour Director; Paige Parkhill Assoc. Choreographer; Antoine Boissereau Assoc Circus Designer; Takeshi Kata Scenic Designer; David I. Reynoso Costume Designer; Bradley King Lighting Designer; Walter Trarbach Sound Designer; David Bengali Projection Designer; Luc Verschueren for Campbell Young Associates Hair, Wig, & Makeup Designer; Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman Props and Puppetry Designer; Camille Labarre Puppetry Designer; Joshua Holden Puppet Director; Cha Ramos Fight Director; The TRC Company Casting; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking; Kathleen Carragee Production Stage Manager; Riley Gibson Stage Manager; Élianne Desilets-Dubé Asst Stage Manager; Stan Barile Circus Assistant Stage Manager; Greg Bawdon Company Manager; Jose Amengual Asst Company Manager; Gentry & Associates General Management.
Administrivia
I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.
Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.
Sadly, since my last theatre outing in August, we’ve lost one of my favorite theatrical venues due to fire: the historical building housing Newhall Refinery, Care/Tucker Design, The Main, and El Troc was destroyed by a 3-alarm fire. Luckily, Canyon Theatre Guild next door was spared. I’ve been attending “The Main”, and it’s previous incarnation, Rep East Playhouse, since all the way back in 2006. Twenty years. Let’s pour a glass for the art and artists of Rep East/The Main, and hope that small and vital venues like The Main return to Santa Clarita soon. While you’re at it, contribute to support the artists of The Main who lost all their gear (they were in the middle of a show run).
Upcoming
Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 
Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).
- September: 🎼 Sutton Foster at The Soraya; 🎭 The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre;
- October: 🎭 The Outsiders at BIH/Pantages; 🎭 Come From Away at Olive Branch Theatricals; 🎼 Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at The Soraya; 🎭 Les Miserables at 5-Star Theatricals; 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
- November: 🎭 Things are Looking Up at the Binge Festival of Free Theatre/Santa Monica Playhouse (Livestream); 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
- December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.
