WATER FOR ELEPHANTS National Tour Comes To Playhouse Square March 2026
Tour will stop at Playhouse Square March 10–29, 2026.
By: A.A. Cristi Nov. 12, 2025
NETworks Presentations has announced complete casting for the North American tour of Water for Elephants, which will play Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace March 10–29, 2026 as part of the KeyBank Broadway Series. Tickets are on sale beginning November 12.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
The cast will be led by Zachary Keller as Jacob, Helen Krushinski as Marlena, Robert Tully as Mr. Jankowski, Connor Sullivan as August, Javier Garcia as Camel, Ruby Gibbs as Barbara, Grant Huneycutt as Wade, and Tyler West as Walter. The 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.
Based on the novel by Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants features a book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. Tour direction is by Ryan Emmons, recreating the original Broadway staging by Jessica Stone.
CREATIVE TEAM
The production features circus design by Shana Carroll; choreography by Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll; scenic design by Takeshi Kata; costume design by David I. Reynoso; lighting design by Bradley King; sound design by Walter Trarbach; and projections by David Bengali. Additional design credits include hair and makeup by Luc Verschueren/Campbell Young Associates; puppet design by Ray Wetmore, JR Goodman, and Camille Labarre; and puppet direction by Joshua Holden.
Music supervision and arrangements are by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Benedict Braxton-Smith, with orchestrations by Daryl Waters, Braxton-Smith, and August Eriksmoen. Fight direction is by Cha Ramos. Associate roles include circus design by Antoine Boissereau and choreography by Paige Parkhill. Casting is by The TRC Company, Claire Burke, CSA, and Frankie Ramirez, CSA.
The stage management team includes Kathleen Carragee, Maris Keller, and Stan Barile. Company management is led by Heather Moss with associate Taylor Parris. Sarah Wilhelm Pool serves as music director and conductor, and Mimi Intagliata is the executive producer.
TICKETS AND SCHEDULE
Water for Elephants will run March 10–29, 2026 at the Connor Palace, with performances Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale beginning November 12 online or by calling 216-241-6000. Groups of 10 or more may call 216-640-8600.
