Ticket to WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at The Kentucky Center Now on Sale
Performances will run from October 14-19, 2025.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Aug. 12, 2025
The North American tour of the critically acclaimed bestselling novel WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is coming to The Kentucky Center October 14-19, 2025.
After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is directed by two-time Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Jessica Stone, with a book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice adapted from Sara Gruen’s New York Times bestselling novel, with a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co., and choreography by Tony Award nominees Jesse Robb (Miss Saigon) and Shana Carroll.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS features circus design by Tony Award nominee Shana Carroll (The 7 Fingers), choreography by Tony Award nominees Jesse Robb (Miss Saigon) and Shana Carroll, scenic design by Drama Desk Award winner
Takeshi Kata (Clyde’s), costume design by David I. Reynoso (Sleep No More), lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Bradley King (Hadestown), sound design by Tony Award nominee Walter Trarbach (Spongebob Squarepants), projections by two-time Tony Award nominee David Bengali (Good Night, and Good Luck), hair & makeup design by Luc Verschueren/Campbell Young Associates (A Beautiful Noise), puppet design by Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman, Camille Labarre (Into the Woods), puppet direction by Joshua Holden, music supervision and arrangements by Drama Desk Award winner Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Some Like It Hot) and Benedict Braxton-Smith (Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls), orchestrations by Tony Award winner Daryl Waters (New York, New York), Benedict Braxton-Smith and August Eriksmoen, fight direction by Cha Ramos (Jagged Little Pill), associate circus designer by Antoine Boissereau, associate choreography by Paige Parkhill, and casting by The TRC Company, Claire Burke, CSA & Frankie Ramirez, CSA.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS won Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Jessica Stone), Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical (Walter Trarbach), Outstanding Fight Choreography (Cha Ramos) and Outstanding Puppetry (Ray Wetmore, JR Goodman, & Camille Labarre), the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (Jessica Stone), the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Male Breakthrough Performance (Grant Gustin), and Chita Rivera Awards for Outstanding Choreography (Jesse Robb & Shana Carroll) and Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show (Antoine Boissereau).
