Who’s ready to run away to the circus? Water for Elephants has its cast.
Previously announced cast members Grant Gustin, Isabelle McCalla, Gregg Edelman, Paul Alexander Nolan, Stan Brown, Joe De Paul, Sara Gettelfinger and Wade McCollum are to be joined by ensemble members and swing and standby performers Brandon Block, Antoine Boissereau, Rachael Boyd, Paul Castree, Ken Wulf Clark, Taylor Colleton, Gabriel Olivera de Paula Costa, Isabella Luisa Diaz, Samantha Gershman, Keaton Hentoff-Killian, Nicolas Jelmoni, Caroline Kane, Harley Ross Beckwith McLeish, Michael Mendez, Samuel Renaud, Marissa Rosen, Alexandra Gaelle Royer, Asa Somers, Charles South, Sean Stack, Matthew Varvar and Michelle West.
Performances are set to begin on February 24, 2024, with an official opening of March 21 at the Imperial Theatre. The musical is directed by Kimberly Akimbo director Jessica Stone, with a book by Rick Elice and music by theatrical music-making collective PigPen TheatreCo. The musical had its world premiere engagement at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta earlier this year.
Based on the novel by Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants follows Jacob Jankowski (Gustin), a young man who joins Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a Depression-era traveling circus. Working as an animal doctor, he finds himself in the topsy-turvy world of acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and tumblers.
The show features circus design by Shana Carroll, an artistic director of Montreal-based circus collective The 7 Fingers. Jesse Robb choreographs with Carroll.