Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Presented by Broadway Across America at Kentucky Performing Arts

I’m happy to report that Water for Elephants has come out swinging - Not since the 2013 revival of Pippin has there been so much acrobatic work onstage at Whitney Hall!  Based on the novel and film of the same name, this brand new circus-centric musical is now embarking on its national tour, with early stops here in Louisville.

The show follows Jacob Jankowski (Zachary Keller), an almost veterinarian, who joins the circus by chance after running away from the horrific tragedy of losing both his parents. As he familiarizes himself with the carnies, he meets Marlena (Helen Krushinski) and August (Connor Sullivan). August owns the show and Marlena is the star. When August finds out that Jacob can be a doctor to the animals, he hires him to join them on the road officially. All the while, he is pining for Marlena and it’s reciprocated. When their star horse is put down, they buy a temperamental elephant named Rosie to headline the show, and as Jacob and Marlena train her together, they fall more and more in love. The whole story is told as a memory, where an older Jacob (Robert Tully) is commiserating about his days with the show.

The performances here are very strong. Zachary Keller is a bright new star on the scene and he carries the show wonderfully. With great vocals and a commanding presence, I cannot wait to see what future roles await him. Helen Krushinski does great as well, her vocals are quite lovely, and her chemistry with both Keller and Sullivan is strong. Her stand out number for me was the beautifully sung “Easy” early in the first act. Connor Sullivan is the villain of our story, and he fills those shoes well. His August oozes charisma, and it was a joy to watch as he fell more and more into depravity. Robert Tully is well suited to his role as older Jacob, and really anchors the evening as the narrator. He’s got such warmth about him, almost evoking an old friend you’re catching up with.

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.

As for the writing, this is the sticking point for me. The score by Pigpen Theatre Co., just wasn’t very striking. The songs are pleasant enough in the moment, but none of them really hold much weight. They serve the story as well as they need to, but sadly this is not the next great score. The book by Rick Elice is done well enough, but often feels very safe. Like the score, it gets the job done, but there’s nothing awe inspiring or deep about the work here either.

In the end, I did enjoy myself at Water for Elephants. The four central performances are very impressive, especially paired with the acrobatic stunts and Jessica Stone’s mindful original direction. The so-so material is elevated to the best that it can be. This is a good night at the theatre, and I think the positives definitely outweigh any of my aforementioned gripes with the writing. Jessica Stone (in her original vision) really cannot be under-praised for this. I truly think with a less creative person at the helm, this could’ve been a slog, but is thankfully (mostly) a delight.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

Running Now - October 19th

Whitney Hall at Kentucky Performing Arts