Zachary Keller, Connor Sullivan, Helen Krushinski, and the cast (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
Reviewed by Asa Fris
Pantages Theater
Thru Sept 27
RECOMMENDED
Helen Krushinski, Robert Tully, Zachary Keller, and Yves Artieres (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
In 1931, Jacob Jankowski’s (Zachary Keller) life was completely upended. One moment, he was preparing for veterinarian exams and set to practice medicine alongside his father. The next, his parents had died, he’d dropped out of college and lost his home to foreclosure. With nowhere else to stay, Jacob hopped on the nearest train and ran away, albeit accidentally, to the circus. We know all that because 70 years later, an older Jankowski (Robert Tully) tells two current day circus employees his wild tale. The rest of Water for Elephants follows Jankowski senior telling the employees about his time as an uncertified veterinarian for the Benzini Brothers circus.
Water for Elephants was originally a novel written by Sara Gruen in 2006, and loosely resembles the story of Jacob from “Genesis.” In 2011, a film was made of the novel starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz. The musical version opened on Broadway in February, 2024, and the national tour, the iteration of Water for Elephants you’ll see at the Pantages, started in September, 2025.
The musical, book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co., has a fragmented structure, showing glimpses of this memory and that, which all lead to one much foreshadowed event. At first, Jacob encounters an assortment of circus characters, including Camel (Javier Garcia), an easy-going circus veteran with a limp (and an excellent singer); Walter (Tyler West), a hilarious clown with a pet dog; Barbara (Rudy Gibbs), a down to earth showgirl; and Wade (Grant Huneycutt), the ringmaster’s strongman. Then he meets the rest of the circus while they set up the big tent while also performing elaborate tricks with grace and pizzazz — and impeccable core strength.
Finally, Jacob meets Marlena (Helen Krushinski), and he is smitten from head to toe. She’s the star of the circus and shares his strong affinity for animals. She also happens to be married to the temperamental ringmaster, August (Connor Sullivan). Thus the two main points of conflict are set for the piece. One deals with Jacob’s search for a home and belonging in the circus. The second concerns August, as he and Jacob butt heads over the conditions of the animals — specifically the new elephant, Rosie (sweetly puppeteered by Ella Huestis, Bradley Parrish, John Neurohr, Carl Robinett, and Huneycutt) —and, more significantly, Jacob’s auspicious chemistry with Marlena.
Elice and PigPen Theatre Co., paired with the original direction of Jessica Stone and tour direction by Ryan Emmons, present an assortment of circus related entertainment, loosely tied together by Jacob’s journey. You’re not going to find an intricately woven narrative here. Instead, look for circus spectacle, eloquent puppeteering, excellent singing and stunning aerial and acrobatic work.
The score utilizes a blend of old American folk music, common circus motifs, and a generally modern musical theater style, though the songs are often extraneous to the story or in moments that don’t need to be expressed through song. Rather, the score mostly provides emotional context for scenes and a conduit for truly stunning aerial work, notably by artists like Yves Artèries. The song “Easy” not only features his aerial prowess (and puppetry) as the horse Silver Star — it also showcases Krushinski’s dazzling vocals as Marlena, which glide above the music as she calms her injured horse. The song is bookended by a soothing prayer, but at its peak, the drums thunder like trampling hooves and the orchestra and vocals and Artèries soar as if Silver Star were galloping through the air and across the wide open plains.
There are plenty of excellent performances and neat effects like these found throughout the show; in the opening track “Anywhere/Another Train,” Jacob belts out the word ‘anywhere’ atop the newly boarded train, and Keller’s clarion vocals sound like the train’s horn sounding out for miles around. And Sullivan’s August compellingly tows the line between a downright villain and a highly pressured businessman, all while charming us during “The Lion Has Got No Teeth.” It’s also worth mentioning again how hilarious Tyler West is as the circus’s tough-guy clown, especially during a pre-show routine with August.
But since these excellent moments aren’t essential to the story, the show often seems more of a variety show than a musical. The moment after you’ve been wowed by Keller’s singing as he dangles through the air on a trapeze, or by the ensemble’s stellar performance and the excellent design (lighting by Bradley King) of the foreshadowed stampede, you’re left in limbo, waiting for the next brilliant moment.
Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Check website for schedule; thru Sept, 27. Running time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with one intermission. https://www.broadwayinhollywood.com/
