Zachary Keller

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Flies High at Broadway Sacramento
by Courtney Symes - Oct 15, 2026

The magic of the circus, with its daring acrobats who defy gravity and its abundance of incredible sights, has always made for a good story. Combine that with romance, a traveling troupe, and a score that captures the spirit of a bygone era, and you have Water for Elephants, the Broadway musical based on the bestselling novel by Sara Gruen. Featuring a book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co., the production received seven Tony Award nominations and is now playing at Broadway Sacramento as part of its first national tour.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at The Paramount Theatre
by Shelley Dean - Oct 7, 2026

With flipping acrobats, ginormous creatures, and vocal talent that will melt you, the 2026 national tour of Water for Elephants makes for a spectacular night out. Lucky for Seattle, the production is currently stopping at The Paramount Theatre. With artful tour direction by Ryan Emmons, this production is packed with everything you could want in a night at the theater: spectacle, romance, humor, heartbreak, and loads of circus magic.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Keller Auditorium
by Krista Garver - Oct 1, 2026

The circus has rolled into town! The national tour of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, based on Sara Gruen’s 2006 best-selling novel, has pitched its big top in the Keller Auditorium, arriving with all of the promised spectacle. With a book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by Pigpen Theatre Co., this musical is a feast for the eyes.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Hollywood Pantages
by Evan Henerson - Sep 14, 2026

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS bears the imprint of its original director, the uber-talented Jessica Stone, and a team of collaborators who span a whole mess of creative genres. Along with their marvelous ensemble, they take us away.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a Ride at the Eccles Theater
by Tyler Hinton - Aug 26, 2026

The national tour of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is an awe-inducing ride.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Broadway San Diego
by ErinMarie Reiter - Aug 21, 2026

When 'Water for Elephants' embraces the magic of the circus—the impossible made possible through acrobatics, illusion, movement, and extraordinary puppetry—it is absolutely captivating.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Brings Romance, Puppetry and Circus Magic to Broadway San Diego
by Lucía Serrano - Aug 21, 2026

From acrobats and funny clowns (not the scary kind, don't worry) to big Broadway numbers, puppetry, and an intimate love story, Water for Elephants has a little something for everyone.

Interview: From San Diego to the National Tour: Javier Garcia on Water for Elephants
by Lucía Serrano - Aug 11, 2026

Forget the big top. The circus has found a new home at the San Diego Civic Theatre, where Water for Elephants brings acrobatics, music, puppetry and plenty of theatrical magic to the stage. Based on Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel, the hit Broadway musical brings the spectacle and spirit of a 1930s circus to San Diego from August 18 - 23.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Tour at Broadway In Chicago
by Rachel Weinberg - Jun 25, 2026

The Water for Elephants tour transports audiences to the circus — and has some dazzling aerial tricks up its sleeve. Based on the popular 2006 novel by Sara Gruen, Rick Elice’s book and PigPen Theatre Co.’s score comprise a memory musical: The elderly Mr. Jankowski (Robert Tully) looks back on his days as a member of a traveling circus back in 1931.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is Now Playing at the James M. Nederlander Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 23, 2026

Water for Elephants is now playing a limited engagement at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. Water for Elephants is based on the critically acclaimed and New York Times Bestselling novel by Sara Gruen.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Ohio Theatre - A Spectacle in Search of a Soul
by Christina Mancuso - Jun 10, 2026

Based on Sara Gruen’s beloved 1932 novel - and its 2011 film adaptation, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a technical triumph wrapped around a dramatically uneven musical.  Directed by Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo), with book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), and score by PigPen Theatre Co., WATER FOR ELEPHANTS leans heavily into spectacle over storytelling: aerial silks, acrobatics, puppetry, and constant physical motion that dominate the stage.  However, this spectacle overwhelms the story rather than serving it, resulting unfortunately in a flop under the big top.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at TPAC'S Jackson Hall
by Catherine Burford - May 14, 2026

All I knew about Water For Elephants was that it is a romantic drama set in a traveling circus during the Great Depression. I expected a circus with a rich color palette, beautiful costumes, acrobatics, and an elephant.

Broadway Beyond Louisville Review: Broadway in Cincinnati presents WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at The Aronoff Center
by Taylor Clemons - Apr 30, 2026

Having first seen Water for Elephants: The Musical on an early tour stop in Louisville, KY, I came to the Arnoff Center with a sense of familiarity for the show. But also, very curious about how it might resonate a second time.

Tickets to WATER FOR ELEPHANTS National Tour in Chicago on Sale This Week
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 16, 2026

Individual tickets for the North American Tour of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS in Chicago are going on sale! Individual tickets range from $30.00 to $130.00, with a limited number of premium seats available.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
by Michael Rabice - Apr 15, 2026

Sometimes people really do run away and join the circus. Author Sara Gruen had great success with that idea in her award winning novel WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, and Hollywood soon after took the story to the silver screen. Now a Broadway musical has hopped on the bandwagon and the result is often a often a captivating three ring circus of intrigue.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Proctors
by Peyton VanDerheyden - Apr 9, 2026

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is dazzling audiences with extraordinary theatrics, creative visual concepts, and emotional moments. Adapted from the New York Times bestselling novel, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS has a book written by Rick Elice, and features a score by PigPen Theatre Co.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Runs Away with the Circus at Benedum Center
by Greg Kerestan - Apr 7, 2026

If I told you I spent an evening last week watching a surrealist dramedy about performers in a circus run by a needy, codependent and violent ringmaster with bipolar disorder, you'd have two options to choose from.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis
by Jared Fessler - Mar 4, 2026

Water for Elephants has officially set up shop at the Orpheum Theatre, and it honestly doesn’t take long to get swept up in it. From the start, it feels less like you’re sitting in a theatre seat and more like you’ve wandered backstage at a traveling circus that just happens to break into song.

Review: High-Flying Feats in WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at the Denver Center
by Jon Bee - Feb 12, 2026

The national tour of Water for Elephants is the latest show to stop at DCPA as it makes its way across the country. I only just last year read the novel by Sara Gruen followed quickly by the feature film starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.

Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Broadway At The Hobby Center
by Jonathan Netek - Jan 28, 2026

A true circus act, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS has it all.