Exclusive: How Rick Elice Found the Heart of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

Welcome to another Edition of The Roundtable on BroadwayWorld. This week we are talking about writing the book of a musical with someone who changed the game. Rick Elice is the go-to writer for musical biographies after he co-wrote Jersey Boys. That show ushered in a new musical to Broadway and things have never been the same.

Rick is here to talk about another adaptation from a famous novel, much like he did with Peter & The Starcatcher, with Water For Elephants now open at the Imperial Theatre. How does Rick take the beloved book, add seven songwriters, a group of circus performers, and an elephant puppet, and find heart and compassion? Rick tells us all about!

We also talk about his past working in everything from Disney to advertising, before coming to Broadway and writing The Cher Show, The Adams Family, and a memoir entitled Finding Roger about his own love story to Roger Rees. By the end of the chat, you will see how it all comes together and a little bit of Rick and his personal life wind up on stage eight shows a week! Truly an inspiring chat with a master.

About The Roundtable

The Roundtable is a show about art & artists! From the best of Broadway, TV, Film, Music, and Social Media, there is something for everyone! From the biggest stars on Broadway to up & coming musicians to legendary movie stars, The Roundtable aims to shed light to those using their voices for change and to entertain. After over 300 episodes and over one million viewers of The Roundtable on YouTube & The Broadway Podcast Network, the show begins airing exclusive weekly episodes on BroadwayWorld every Friday.  From Ann-Margret to Bianca Del Rio, you just never know who will show up!