Water for Elephants
Opening Night: March 21, 2024
Theater: Imperial Theatre
Website: www.waterforelephantsthemusical.com
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.
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March 21, 2024
In building such a huge and heart-filling musical one image at a time, the creators of “Water for Elephants” have disproved the old circus adage behind the title, which holds that you can never deliver enough sustenance for a creature so large and thirsty. Apparently, you can.
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March 22, 2024
Director Jessica Stone beautifully navigates the musical’s tricky order: execute the level of physical extravagance any circus-musical hybrid of this monumental scale demands, but keep Jacob’s potent, time-leaping personal story intact.
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March 21, 2024
Step right up, come one, come all, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up to the greatest—well, okay, not the greatest show on Broadway, but a dang fine show nonetheless.
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March 21, 2024
Ultimately, Water proves to be a fairly disappointing choice by director Stone as a follow-up to the brilliant Kimberly Akimbo (but, really, what wouldn’t have been?). It’s modest pleasures are never anything but safe, even without a net.
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March 21, 2024
If, like me, you are highly susceptible to sawdust and tinsel, then much of Water for Elephants will delight on the basis of spectacle alone — and that’s okay.
READ THE REVIEWMarch 21, 2024
If nothing else, we never wonder how Jacob is swept away by the circus. The romance may fall short, and the songs lack a certain luster, but the magic of the circus is winning.
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March 21, 2024
“Water” has more exuberance than wit; more catchphrases than character.
READ THE REVIEWMarch 21, 2024
Here, by blending the worlds of Broadway and the not-so-big top, a tent always in danger of collapse, Stone captures a milieu that has slipped away from many hands.
READ THE REVIEWMarch 21, 2024
Time was, when a dreamy kid felt oppressed, the allure of running away to join the circus would fire the imagination. An American myth, or sentimental lore, probably. But in the new musical “Water for Elephants,” ostensibly set in a seedy, second-rate circus, running off to join the crew would seem to be little more rebellious than joining an unusually boisterous Boy Scout troop.
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March 21, 2024
March 21, 2024
Disney Theatricals can let out a sigh of relief. Its “Lion King” franchise on cute animal puppets is safe. Very safe.
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March 21, 2024
But PigPen’s score, period appropriate with strumming ukuleles and happy-go-lucky lyrics, creates a strong thread to tie together the production’s tendency to roam. And the ensemble — by far the best arms on Broadway — provides endless visual richness. You’re never supposed to look too closely at the circus but, here, there’s more than enough to keep you staring.
READ THE REVIEWMarch 21, 2024
On paper, it’s straightforward rom-dram stuff. On stage at the Imperial Theatre, everything ascends thanks to its energizing and poetic elements. Jacob’s story unfurls amid legit acts – acrobats, daredevils, trapeze swingers, and more – that add a different dimension.
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March 21, 2024
This underdog circus troupe may promote its entertainment as “Benzini Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth,” but for this rube’s nickels, “Water for Elephants” could be the greatest show on Broadway.