“Water for Elephants,” a new musical based on the novel by Sara Gruen, will play its final Broadway performance on Dec. 8. The musical began previews on Feb. 24 and officially opened on March 21 at the Imperial Theatre. By closing, “Water for Elephants” will have played 25 previews and 301 regular performances.
Featuring a Tony Award-nominated book by Rick Elice and a score by PigPen Theatre Co., “Water for Elephants” chronicles veterinarian-to-be Jacob Jankowski as he seeks solace in a Depression-era traveling circus following a traumatic event. Jacob finds a chosen family among not only the human entertainers he meets, but its menagerie, specifically an elephant named Rosie.
The musical’s current cast is led by Kyle Selig as Jacob Jankowski, Isabelle McCalla as Marlena, Gregg Edelman as Mr. Jankowski, Paul Alexander Nolan as August, Stan Brown as Camel, Philippe Aymard as Walter, Sara Gettelfinger as Barbara and Wade McCollum as Wade. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting.
“Water for Elephants” features Tony-nominated direction by Jessica Stone, Tony-nominated choreography by Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, music direction by Elizabeth Doran, orchestrations by Daryl Waters and arrangements by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Benedict Braxton-Smith. The musical has Tony-nominated scenic design by Takeshi Kata, Tony-nominated costume design by David Israel Reynoso, Tony-nominated lighting design by Bradley King and David Bengali and sound design by Walter Trarbach.
“Water for Elephants” was nominated for seven 2024 Tony Awards, including a nod for Best Musical.
As previously announced, “Water for Elephants” will launch a national tour in 2025. The musical’s licensing rights were recently acquired by Broadway Licensing Global. An original cast album was released by Ghostlight Records.
“Water for Elephants” is produced by Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz and Seth A. Goldstein.
