The critically acclaimed bestselling novel WATER FOR ELEPHANTS comes to vivid life on Broadway in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical.
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.
Directed by Tony Award®️ nominee Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo), with a book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher) adapted from Sara Gruen’s novel, and a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co., WATER FOR ELEPHANTS unites innovative stagecraft with the very best of Broadway talent in an authentic and deeply moving new musical that invites us all to give ourselves to the unknown.
Stone shares credit with Shana Carroll, “circus director” and co-choreographer with Jesse Robb for the show. I don’t know who did precisely what, but the result is one of the most authentic circus-themed shows to make it to Broadway. There’s almost none of the sparkly smiles found in “Pippin” or “Barnum,” but the piece is a richer accounting of why many Americans fell in love with a world constantly in motion and filled with equal measures of pain and joy.
That’s faint praise, to be sure, but credit where it’s due: Despite source material whose hold on at least some segment of the popular imagination remains inscrutable to the rest of us, the new musical is never less than diverting, with its gorgeous aerial acrobatics, solid work from director Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo) and a plucky pastiche of a score that hints, to my ears, at ’30s-era novelty songs, old timey banjo music, Tin Pan Alley, Black gospel, Jesus Christ Superstar-era Andrew Lloyd Webber and 21st Century stage musical pop.
Rush Tickets:
Price: $49
Where: Imperial Theatre box office (249 West 45th Street) box office. The box office is open 10AM-8:30PM Monday through Saturday and 12-6PM on Sunday.
Limit: Two per customer.
Restrictions: Locations and number of tickets based on availability; seats may be partial view.
Lottery Tickets:
Price: $40
Where: The Imperial Theatre box office (249 West 45th Street).
When: Entry begins two hours prior to the curtain with the drawing 90 minutes prior to curtain.
Limit: Two per customer.
Restrictions: Locations and number of tickets based on availability; seats may be partial view.
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