Have you ever wanted to rush out of the house to attend a musical? Then 'Water for Elephants' is the show of choice that offers escapism, enchantment, heart and thrills.
The show, based on Sarah Greene's 2006 bestseller, premiered last year at Atlanta's Alliance Theater and takes musicals to literal new heights by seamlessly integrating theater and cirque artistry. Ta.
It's also the second new musical to open on Broadway in the past week (after “The Notebook”). Told in flashback from the perspective of a nursing home resident who reconnects with his younger self. But the story told here is dynamic rather than melancholy, its nostalgia sharpened by harsh reality, its sentimentality offset by humour, snap and darkness.
It also goes beyond the literal nature of the 2011 film (starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz) to become a unique and imaginative creation of stage and live performance.
The show, written by Rick Ellis (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), is propelled by a high-speed locomotive through which the characters ride through life. For most people, it's about survival. Set during the Great Depression, this story follows a distraught young man, Jacob Jankowski (Grant Gustin, convincing), as he flees the trauma of his family, all of which are brought to him by his older self (Greg Edelman). Told in flashback.
After hitchhiking aboard what turns out to be a circus train, we discover that ringmaster and owner Augustus (Paul Alexander Nolan) is this almost-veterinarian, so Jacob's in this difficult touring company. Jacob's one-day stay is extended – from Cornell, where Jacob dropped out just before graduation – as a brief talent in the theater company's sad menagerie. (The song “The Lion Has No Teeth” says it all.)
Through Jacob, we enter the subculture of Sawdust, and with him the hierarchy of circus life, where the performers are “perverts”, the customers are “rubes”, and the “red lights” are thrown from moving trains; Discover attitudes, terminology.
With economy and resourcefulness, Jacob learns a lot about the characters he quickly bonds with. Camel (Stan Brown, authentic) is an elderly hard worker; Walter is an earnest clown (Joe de Paul, growling and hysterical); Barbara is a jack-of-all-trades showgirl (Sarah Gettelfinger, excellent); Especially Marlena (Isabelle McCullough), an equestrian who is on the receiving end of her husband August's devotion and abuse. Always looming is the theater company's menacing foreman (Wade McCallum).
The fate of a debt-ridden circus group changes when Rosie, a 53-year-old elephant, is brought into the company. But the pachyderm resists training until Jacob finds the right words and together with Marlena turns the intuitive animal into a star attraction.
The two trainers' shared compassion and charm become apparent to the troupe of people, including the ruthless, sadistic, and capricious Augustus. It won't be long until something evil comes this way.
The cast is top-notch. Edelman's understated ease and self-conscious humor make this nursing home escapee a charming yet clear-eyed guide to his caravan of a distant past and this fascinating circus. Masu.
As young Jacob, Gustin shares the likability and vulnerability of a man who feels lost and alone until he finds his true calling, his chosen family, and love. McCullough plays Marlena not as a victim, but as an ever-resilient wife walking a tightrope of loyalty, fear, and despair. Nolan is mesmerizing as Augustus, a master showman and sociopath who is both charming and menacing.
Jessica Stone and her creative team, who previously staged the modestly scaled “Kimberly Akimbo,” especially circus designer Shana Carroll, who co-choreographed with Jesse Robb, tackle a large canvas piece here, unforgettably bringing it all together in one grandeur. Gather them under a tent. the human heart and the animal heart.
The production's outstanding illusionists include set designer Takeshi Kata, lighting designer Bradley King, and Walter Tollback, who created the soundscapes. That's right, the elephant in the room, and the challenge of creating lions, orangutans, and other creatures large and small, doll designers Ray Wetmore, J.R. Goodman, and Camille LaBarre chose They do an amazing job capturing the essence and sometimes adding detailed designs. And it includes the simplest of propositions, especially for Rosie, who becomes a fully realized character and star of the show, thanks to puppeteer Caroline Kane.
This production's quartet of aerialists and acrobats hail from the Montreal-based 7 Fingers Company, who made the 2013 retelling of “Pippin” so captivating. Their feats aren't just breathtaking — thanks here to the amazing Keaton Hentoff-Killian — they're figuratively tied to the story on stage. For example, when Marlena gently sings “Easy” to soothe her injured stallion, the poignant song is brought to life in an exquisite Spanish-language web performance by Antoine Boisereau on dangling ribbons of sparkling white fabric. echo.
The score by musical collective PigPen Theater Co. captures the melodic Americana mood of the time, mixed with songs ranging from swing to folk. Particularly great are the infectious “The Road Don't Make You Young,” the romantic ballad “Wild,” and “Zostan,” a cheerful celebration of Polish orders.
For fans of the book and film, the climactic moment on stage is still just as thrilling, the most creative stampede since the wildebeest ran in “The Lion King” (co-producer Peter Schneider also tops it here). standing).
This underdog circus troupe may advertise its entertainment as “The Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth,” but to this rube's nickel, “Water for Elephants” is the best show on Broadway. There is a possibility that it will become.