Review Roundup: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS North American Tour

Performances are now underway for the North American Tour of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. Performances began on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, MD. Find out what the critics are saying!

The tour is led by Zachary Keller (Jacob), Helen Krushinski (Marlena), Robert Tully (Mr. Jankowski), Connor Sullivan (August), Javier Garcia (Camel), Ruby Gibbs (Barbara), Grant Huneycutt (Wade), and Tyler West (Walter).

Additional ensemble includes Fran Alvarez Jara, Yves Artieres, Chris Carsten, Adam Fullick, Nancy Gutierrez, Ella Huestis, Sam Kellar-Long, ZaKeyia Lacey, Andrew Meier, Marina Mendoza, John Neurohr, Bradley Parrish, Carl Robinett, Summer Severin, Serafina Walker, and Yemie Woo.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is based on the critically acclaimed and New York Times Bestselling novel by Sara Gruen. The Broadway musical has a book by four-time Tony Award nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux), with tour direction by Ryan Emmons, recreating the original direction by Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo).

J. Wynn Rousuck, Tom Hall, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Rob Sivak, WYPR: The 2024 musical, which was nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, tells the story of young Jacob Jankowski who, after experiencing a family tragedy, moves on to find a new life with a traveling circus during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The show features exciting circus acrobatics, original music, and intricate puppetry to tell its tale of love and personal survival.

Herb Merrick, MD Theatre Guide: “Water For Elephants” illustrates the heavy physical and emotional toll on the characters as they experience the exploitation and cruelty of early 20th century circus life, however that life also provides them with a home and a sense of belonging to a community. Now, as then, strength and resilience are needed to face and endure huge challenges through the collective support of shared experience.

Constance Beulah, DC Theater Arts: From the moment the musical begins, amid shifting train cars and tattered tents, there’s a strong sense of immersion. The acrobats, aerial work, juggling, and movement — these aren’t just gimmicks. They feel built into the story.

Marin Heinritz, Revue: There’s everything we want and more in a dramatic story: compelling characters, lively action, all kinds of complications and strong desires, romance, violence, and comic relief—with fantastic movement and sometimes stark contrasts between the world of performance, in the circus tent, and the dramas playing out behind the scenes.

Taylor Clemons, BroadwayWorld: The standout of the show for me lies in the staging. The acrobatics and aerial work are a sight to behold. Stunts come quickly and often, and the audience (myself included) were in awe of a lot of the feats achieved. Jessica Stone’s original direction is also really phenomenal. She takes what could be a paint-by-numbers musical and injects innovative soul into every moment, giving the show distinct character.

Deborah Bostock-Kelley, BroadwayWorld : And the puppeteer animals? Absolute beauty. Crafted with such grace and operated with such soul, they transcended mechanics and became living, breathing characters. They moved with such grace and emotion that you forgot they weren’t real. The horse (Yves Artieres), in particular, was unforgettable. The actor didn’t just operate the puppet—he became the horse. Every flick of the tail, every tremble of muscle, every glance was so heartbreakingly real that when a sad scene came to pass, tears welled in my eyes. It was devastating and beautiful.

Rod Stafford Hagwood, South Florida Sun-Sentinel: This cast (non-Equity though you’d never ever know it) walks that tightrope, performing with bravura, singing with crystalline precision and thunderous boom — somehow making it all less overwhelmingly sad through their collective charisma, the desperation and cruelty dialed down just enough to keep the edge, the cut.

Average Rating: 85.7%