Review: Water for Elephants

Review: Water for Elephants | Buell Theatre | Denver, CO | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald

Water for Elephants arrives at the Buell Theatre as a full-bodied spectacle, a swirling fusion of theatre magic and circus artistry that turns the stage into something alive, breathing, and gloriously unpredictable. Based on Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel, with a book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co., this national tour carries the same inventive pulse that powered its 2024 Broadway run—actors becoming acrobats, acrobats becoming storytellers, and the whole evening unfolding with the kinetic thrill of stepping onto a moving train.

The story unfolds as a memory play, guided by Mr. Jankowski (Robert Tully), who looks back on the season of his life when everything changes. As his younger self is swept onto the Benzini Brothers Circus train, Jacob (Zachary Keller) discovers a world stitched together by grit and glitter: Marlena (Helen Krushinski), the luminous equestrian star; August (Connor Sullivan), her charismatic yet volatile husband and the circus’s commanding animal trainer; and Rosie, the elephant, whose gentle intelligence becomes the troupe’s unlikely salvation. Through Jacob’s recollection, the love triangle, the danger, and the fragile beauty of circus life gather momentum toward the fateful night that reshaped them all.

From the moment the curtain rises, the production’s acrobatic vocabulary becomes its own kind of storytelling, a continuous current of beauty shaped under the expert guidance of circus captains Fran Álvarez Jara and Marina Mendoza. The ensemble moves with a sculptural elegance—climbing, balancing, and folding into one another with a fluidity that feels both organic and impossibly refined. These sequences don’t merely decorate the musical; they elevate it, creating a visual and emotional architecture that runs through the entire evening. The result is a world where circus artistry and theatrical craft are inseparable, each gesture and airborne tableau deepening the memory Mr. Jankowski is trying to articulate without ever revealing its final turn.

At the center of the storytelling are four performers who anchor the evening with clarity and vocal assurance. As Jacob, Zachery Keller brings an earnest, open‑hearted presence that makes his journey easy to invest in, while Helen Krushinski’s Marlena radiates quiet strength and a luminous poise that carries beautifully into her songs. Connor Sullivan, impossibly handsome and utterly commanding as August, gives the production its most volatile charge—his charisma sharp enough to dazzle, his authority sharp enough to unsettle. And as Mr. Jankowski, Robert Tully frames the evening with warmth and gravity that keeps the memory grounded. Together, they navigate PigPen Theatre Co.’s score with confidence that lets the music swell, shimmer, and land exactly where it needs to.

L to R: Connor Sullivan, Helen Krushinski, Zachary Keller | Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Rosie, the elephant, herself is a marvel of stagecraft, animated with astonishing nuance by Ella Huestis, Bradley Parrish, John Neurohr, Carl Robinett, and Grant Huneycutt. Together, they give her warmth, weight, and wit that make her feel fully alive—every deliberate step, every curious tilt of the head, every moment of stillness calibrated with exquisite cohesion. And yes, in a nod to Sara Gruen’s beloved detail, her well‑known fondness for whiskey surfaces with a wink, adding just enough charm to deepen her presence without ever reducing her to a gag. Rosie becomes not merely a puppet, but a genuine emotional force threaded through the evening.

Rick Elice’s book gives the sprawling narrative a clean, theatrical spine, weaving Elder Jacob’s memory play structure through scenes that move with the momentum of a circus train. PigPen Theatre Co.’s music and lyrics supply the production with its distinctive sound—earthy, percussive, and steeped in Americana textures that feel both handmade and emotionally direct. While Water for Elephants earned several Tony nominations during its 2024 Broadway run, it did not take home any awards, a fact that feels almost beside the point when you hear how confidently this touring company delivers the score. The songs land with clarity and heart, carried by a cast whose vocal assurance keeps the musical pulse steady even amid the show’s most dazzling physical feats.

This touring production benefits enormously from the cohesive vision guiding it. Ryan Emmons’ tour direction keeps the storytelling taut and fluid, honoring the original Broadway staging while allowing the acrobatic vocabulary to breathe in a house as large as the Buell. Shana Carroll’s circus design—equal parts poetry and precision—threads seamlessly through the evening, while her choreography, co‑crafted with Jess Robb, gives the show its kinetic pulse. All of it remains rooted in Jessica Stone’s original direction, whose blueprint ensures that the musical, the circus, and the memory play coexist in a single, unified world.

Takeshi Kata’s scenic design gives the production a visual language all its own—exceptionally expressive, often haunting, and capable of shifting from the grit of the circus rails to the dreamlike haze of memory with a single gesture. Complementing that world are the costumes by David I. Reynoso, which are richly textured and imaginatively rooted in both theatrical storytelling and circus tradition. Together, the design elements create an environment that feels lived‑in, transportive, and utterly in step with the show’s blend of magic and muscle.

Water for Elephants unfolds as a wonderful swirl of theatricality and circus magic, a two‑hour spell that feels at times as transportive as a Cirque du Soleil dreamscape while remaining firmly rooted in character and story. It’s a production that dazzles without losing its heart, marrying musical theatre craft with breathtaking physical artistry in a way that keeps the audience leaning forward from start to finish.

For information and tickets: https://www.denvercenter.org/