Taylor Iman Jones To Star In World Premiere Musical ELEPHANT SHOES At Two River Theater

Taylor Iman Jones (Six The Musical, Head Over Heels) will star as Roxy in the Two River Theater and Deaf West Theatre world premiere co-production of Elephant Shoes.

Iman stars alongside Daniel Durant (Spring Awakening, CODA) and James Olivas (Evita, American Idiot). 

Roxy, a whip-smart coder, helps turn a groundbreaking tech dream into reality alongside Cy, whose brilliant invention is on the verge of revolutionizing communication. The device instantly translates spoken English into American Sign Language, and vice versa. But Cy's breakthrough means nothing if he cannot connect with the one person he longs for — Roxy. As they work side by side, Cy finds himself falling in love, only to watch his Best Friend, Chris, sweep her off her feet. A modern-day Cyrano tale, Elephant Shoes asks: Can love transcend language, or will it forever be lost in translation?

The book is by Ivan Menchell (Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), music and lyrics are by Caroline Kay (Overnight, Daisy), and direction and choreography are by Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Deaf West's Big River). Elephant Shoes is presented by special arrangement with producers Kevin Ryan (Ragtime), Diane Scott Carter (Gypsy), Rob Acton (Ragtime), Mary Sullivan (Ragtime), and Deaf West Theatre's DJ Kurs & Jeff Perri.

With a soaring contemporary score and an immersive blend of spoken English, ASL, and groundbreaking stage technology fully accessible in both languages, Elephant Shoes will run in the Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater from June 4 through June 28, 2026. 

Elephant Shoes is performed in ASL, spoken English, and integrated open captioning, fully accessible to both Deaf and hearing audiences.

The creative team for Elephant Shoes includes Jeff Calhoun (director and choreographer), Colin Analco (ASL Choreographer), Meghann Zervoulis Bate (Music Supervisor/Director), Tom Kitt (Orchestrations), Tobin Ost (Scenic Design), Caite Hevner (Projection Design), Sarafina Bush (Costume Design), Annie Wiegand (Lighting Design), Daniel Lundberg (Sound Design), The TRC Company/Spencer Gualdoni, CSA and Claire Burke, CSA (Casting Director).

"We are thrilled to partner with Two River to premiere Elephant Shoes, a bold new musical led by a Deaf hero set in a world that reflects our complex, interconnected reality,” says DJ Kurs, Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre. “Comedy becomes a lens to examine our preconceptions, challenging audiences to see beyond preconceived boundaries. At its core, the piece is a powerful catalyst for human connection, exploring our fundamental desire to be understood in a landscape of ever-shifting communication and technology. With an extraordinary creative team at the helm, we can't wait to share this hilarious, thought-provoking story with beautiful music that illuminates our shared humanity.” 

“Building a World Premiere Musical is the ultimate collaboration and to do so with this incredible team is a tremendous gift to Two River,” says Justin Waldman, Artistic Director. “It is a true honor to join forces with the renowned and venerable Deaf West Theatre to tell Ivan and Caroline's stunning story, helmed by the Tony Award-nominated director, Jeff Calhoun. Elephant Shoes' combination of American Sign Language, music, laughs, and poignancy is utterly unique and continues Two River's tradition of bringing people together for world class theatrical experiences right here in Red Bank, NJ.”

TICKET INFORMATION

For tickets and more information, visit: https://tworivertheater.org/whats-on/elephant-shoes/

To see the full 2025/2026 Season programming visit: tworivertheater.org.