The circus is coming to town in more ways than one when Water for Elephants makes two Southern California stops in late summer and fall. The first North American tour of the Broadway musical arrives at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre from Sept. 8 through 27 before returning to the region Nov. 10 through 22 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
Based on Sara Gruen’s bestselling 2006 novel, Water for Elephants follows Jacob Jankowski, whose life takes an abrupt turn after devastating loss sends him aboard a moving train and, quite unexpectedly, into the company of a traveling circus during the Great Depression. There he finds work caring for the animals, becomes drawn to equestrian performer Marlena and is swept into a world where reinvention carries both possibility and danger. The story unfolds as the older Jacob revisits this formative chapter of his life, allowing the musical to consider not only where he once landed, but how memory changes the meaning of a life decades later.
Zachary Keller leads the touring cast as the younger Jacob, with Robert Tully playing his older counterpart, Mr. Jankowski. Helen Krushinski portrays Marlena, while Connor Sullivan takes on August, the commanding figure at the center of the circus. Javier Garcia appears as Camel, with Tyler West as Walter and Grant Huneycutt as Wade.
Yet calling Water for Elephants a musical only begins to describe what is happening onstage.
Acting, singing and conventional choreography share space with aerial work, acrobatics, juggling and other circus disciplines, often within the same sequence. The performers charged with bringing the big top to life are not simply stepping aside between songs for specialty acts. Physical feats become part of the show’s storytelling vocabulary, helping convey everything from exhilaration to vulnerability while giving the production an identity apart from a more traditional Broadway musical.
The animal characters add another layer of theatrical invention. Puppetry brings creatures including Rosie the elephant into Jacob’s world, while other sequences take a more abstract approach, using human movement and circus apparatus rather than attempting literal realism. The result is a production in which the mechanics of theater are frequently visible, while imagination is asked to complete the picture. Even with all the bodies flying through the air, the spectacle serves a story rooted in grief, belonging, cruelty, second chances and the families people create when the lives they expected disappear.
That ambitious combination earned considerable recognition when Water for Elephants opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre in March 2024. It received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Direction, Best Choreography and honors for scenic, costume and lighting design. The production also collected four Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Jessica Stone and awards recognizing its puppetry, sound design and fight choreography.
Stone originated the Broadway staging, with Ryan Emmons directing the North American tour. Rick Elice adapted Gruen’s novel for the stage, while PigPen Theatre Co. supplies the music and lyrics. Shana Carroll serves as co-choreographer and circus designer alongside co-choreographer Jesse Robb. Takeshi Kata is responsible for the vivid scenery, David I. Reynoso the costumes, Bradley King the lighting and David Bengali the projections. Ray Wetmore and JR Goodman handle props and puppetry design, with additional puppetry design by Camille Labarre.
For audiences accustomed to musicals in which dancing remains firmly on the floor, Water for Elephants offers something decidedly less earthbound. Its Southern California visits promise a chance to see a story about rebuilding a life told by performers who, quite literally, spend part of the evening defying gravity.
Cover image caption: The company of the first North American tour of Water for Elephants brings the circus to life. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.
The North American tour of Water for Elephants plays at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre from Tuesday, September 8th through Sunday, September 27th, 2026. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit BroadwayinHollywood.com.
Several weeks after the Hollywood run, the musical will return to Southern California for performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from Tuesday, November 10th through Sunday, November 22nd, 2026. For further details and to purchase tickets, visit scfta.org.
