Puppeted animals, a traveling circus and forbidden love, make up the show “Water for Elephants” at Century II.
The story is told non-linearly, with the main character Jacob Jankowski telling his story of working in a 1930s traveling circus to the audience via flashbacks. He talks about his parents’ death, how he came to work for the circus, how it fell apart and how he grew old but is still reminiscing on the old times.
‘Pippin’ meets ‘Newsies,’ the show encompasses the fairy tale imagery of train hopping and running away with the circus that some of us may have imagined growing up.
The casting of this production was phenomenal, with Robert Tully playing Jacob and Zarchary Keller playing the younger version of Jacob in his memories. There were several instances when a “flashback” would fade in which the two actors mirrored each other perfectly, enacting a seamless transition between past and present.
The transition that stuck out to me the most came at the beginning of the show, Jacob walked behind a moving sign and his younger self came out of the other side.
When the circus theme and setting became apparent, I found myself curious about how they would tackle the elephant and other circus animals, and they exceeded my expectations.
The animals were puppeted by cast members. The actors conveyed movement and the emotions of the animals through contemporary dance. It took five cast members to puppet Rosie, the elephant. I give my props to those playing the animals. I’m sure some attachments were heavy, and they seemed to be moved effortlessly.
Throughout the show, background cast members were performing circus acts, like aerial silks and gymnastics.
The feats of strength showcased through these performances were incredible. At one point, there was a trio of three people who balanced on top of each other. And there were a couple of girls who were casually thrown across the stage, as background to the circus acts and to convey the movement of the circus.
Several times throughout the show, the stunts and the story itself astounded me and had me on the edge of my seat.
Musically, this show was a wonderful blend of jazzy chords and circus music.
My favorite vocal performance falls between “Silver Stars” and “Easy,” two of the solo songs in the show.
Keller’s performance of “Silver Stars” nearly brought me to tears. The song is an ode to Jacob’s struggles and the hope he has found from the circus. He poured so much emotion into the song, I felt myself feeling the sorrow of what has been lost but the inkling of hope of what the future can bring starting.
“Easy” is the first solo song of Marlena, the wife of the Ringmaster, who was played by Helen Krushinski. The song is a poignant but slow ballad that is about acceptance and finding peace when you are hurting. Marlena sings to the circus’ star horse, who she works with as the main act and who is hurt, but I felt myself moved.
A song that became my favorite for other reasons, mainly due to the composition and clever lyricism, will make its way to my high-energy playlist is going to be “The Lion has got no Teeth.” I love how jazzy the music for it is while having some darker lyrics.
It’s a song led by the Ringleader August, who was played by Connor Sullivan, and tells the truth about the circus and the animals that they have on hand for performances. It was a fantastic commentary on the reality of the brutality that circus animals faced hidden under high energy and bouncy music.
Prior to seeing this show live, I knew nothing about it and had only heard the name in passing, but I highly recommend anyone who has the opportunity to see it live to take that chance. It is a show that I will continue to think about for a while.
