WISH-LIST WEDNESDAY: Water For Elephants

Official artwork for "Water for Elephants"

It’s a new year and we’re back, and heading to the circus, as this time we dive into a musical that closed on Broadway at the tail end of 2024. Based on the Sara Gruen novel of the same name, “Water For Elephants” is the latest show to bring the circus to Broadway, with a score by PigPen Theatre co. jam packed with character and flair, as well as a book by Rick Elice. Originally premiering in Atlanta, Georgia in 2023, the show transferred to New York's Imperial Theatre the following year, with "Glee" star Grant Gustin taking on the lead role, in what was his broadway debut, alongside Isabelle McCalla and Gregg Edelman.

It tells the story of Jacob Jankowski, who runs away, boards a train to join a travelling circus as a veterinarian, following the death of his parents during the Great Depression. It’s here where he falls for Marlena, the beautiful star performer, and ends up in a dangerous love triangle between the pair of them and her controlling ringleader husband August. Additionally, Jankowski develops a special bond with the titular elephant named Rosie, all told through the perspective of an elderly Jacob reminiscing about his younger days. The show explores central themes of identity, grief, abuse, and freedom vs. confinement, as well as found family and the dichotomy between the outward glamour and inward moral complexities of the circus.

The original broadway cast of "Water for Elephants"

Though often criticised for its book, the visual spectacle of it all was a critically unifying feature of this show, especially with regards to the puppetry. With a US tour currently underway, and rumours of a west end transfer having circulated for a while, it's surely only a matter of time before the train arrives at Kings Cross and makes its way down to the west end. Did you see the show? What did you think? Let me know below, or on my instagram page!