Grant Gustin has scheduled an exit date from “Water for Elephants.” Gustin, who currently stars in the Tony Award-nominated musical, will play his final performance as Jacob Jankowski on Sept. 1 at the Imperial Theatre. A replacement for Gustin has not yet been revealed.
Gustin is known to television audiences for his nine-year tenure playing Barry Allen/The Flash on the CW series “The Flash.” Additionally, he played Sebastian on the Fox series “Glee” and was seen as Baby John in the 2010 national tour of “West Side Story.” “Water for Elephants” marks Gustin’s Main Stem debut.
Helmed by Jessica Stone, “Water for Elephants” opened on March 21 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including nods for Best Musical as well as Stone’s direction. Featuring a score by PigPen Theatre Co. and a Tony-nominated book by Rick Elice, “Water for Elephants” is an adaptation of Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel of the same name. The musical follows soon-to-be-veterinarian Jankowksi who, following a tragic incident, finds comfort and a new family among both humans and animals of a Depression-era traveling circus.
Gustin’s vocals were preserved on the “Water for Elephants” cast album, which was released digitally in May. Gustin is featured opposite Isabelle McCalla in the song “Wild,” heard in the music video below.
In addition to Gustin and McCalla, the principal cast of “Water for Elephants” includes Gregg Edelman, Paul Alexander Nolan, Stan Brown, Joe De Paul, Sara Gettelfinger and Wade McCollum.
“Water for Elephants” is produced by Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz and Seth A. Goldstein.
