'Water for Elephants’ at Playhouse Square is a Circus Spectacle

At curtain call, after the story has ended, the fourth wall is breached and the actors have taken their bows, the talent will take a moment to point out the creatives off-stage who helped bring the production to life. They will often point to the back of the house and the orchestra, but every so often, theater personnel clad in all black will poke their heads out from the side of the stage to receive applause. When this happens, you know that there were some serious theatrical magic strings being pulled.

Such is the case for the touring “Water for Elephants” at Playhouse Square, a high-flying, touching production full of visual spectacle and theatrical magic.

After suffering the loss of his family and home during the Great Depression, Jacob Jankowski feels lost. He takes a leap of faith and hops on a train, ready to see where fate takes him, and it turns out that fate manifests in the form of a train carrying the “Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.” After the train packed full of exotic animals, performers and personnel disembark at their latest show locale, Jacob uses his veterinary training to make himself an asset to the circus team. He immediately connects with Marlena, the circus’s star performer, much to the chagrin of her husband, August (Connor Sullivan), the ringmaster and owner of the Benzini Brothers. When the circus acquires an elephant named Rosie as a new attraction, Marlena and Jacob bond as they struggle to prepare an uncooperative Rosie for the big top, all while under the watchful eye of an increasingly volatile August.

The musical by Rick Elice is based on the 2006 novel of the same name written by Sara Gruen, which also received a film adaptation in 2011. The production opened on Broadway in March, 2024 and closed in December of that same year, racking up seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.

The show did not, however, bring home any Tony Awards and has received a rather mixed response from critics. There are no shortage of arguments that the show’s employment of acrobatics is mere spectacle, the music by PigPen Theatre Co. does not move the story forward and that the story itself was found to be lacking.

Were I to evaluate each of those elements–the quiet story, the emotion-centric music and the high-flying acrobatics–individually, I could see myself agreeing with those critics who found “Water for Elephants” wanting. Yet, when evaluating the pieces that make up the whole–as a whole–there is no denying that these elements coalesce into a dazzling production.

The story of “Water for Elephants” unfurls in the form of a memory recalled by a much older Jacob, played by Robert Tully, who now lives in assisted living. He takes a day trip to a visiting circus, which is in the process of packing up before moving to its next destination. Older Jacob meets a few circus staffers, who, upon learning about Jacob’s stint with the Benzini Brothers, are eager to hear his tale.

It is clear from the way that elder Jacob roams about the stage, gazing lovingly at his settings, that his memories of the circus are fond. Because the story of young Jacob and the Benzini Brothers is being recounted as a memory, it gives “Water for Elephants” the creative freedom to adopt a dreamy, fantastical air.

And fantastical it is.

Circus designer Shana Carroll co-choreographed the show alongside Jesse Robb. The ensemble is packed full of talented theater and circus performers alike, and together, they execute choreography and acrobatics that are endlessly entertaining. Dressed in period appropriate, daily wear and circus costumes by David I. Reynoso, the acrobatic talent of the cast displays immense skill and strength as they flip, spin and fly about the stage, complementing Jacob’s awe-inspiring memories of the circus.

Equally visually stunning is the puppetry designed by Ray Wetmore and JR Goodman. The already multi-talented cast proves their chops with puppetry as they depict the circus’s menagerie. The slow, piecemeal reveal of the puppetry that brings Rosie to life is magnificent.

This all occurs on Takeshi Kata’s set design that utilizes curtains, ropes, poles and stylized train cars to depict various circus locales. The back of the stage has a large space for beautiful projections by David Bengali, and designer Bradley King lights everything to absolute perfection. Some of the most visually compelling scenes that employ all of these elements are those that occur on the train cars as the circus rattles along to its next show.

Despite the largeness of the production, the story within is rather quiet. It is one of loss, love, found family and new beginnings. Zachary Keller in the role of young Jacob Jankowski is sweet and lovable, and Helen Krushinski in the role of Marlena is strong and entrancing. Their love story is muted compared to the grandness of their surroundings, but the undercurrent of danger that runs throughout the show adds intrigue. The strongest dramatic performance belongs to Connor Sullivan as August, who is magnetic as the complicated, violent ring master.

The reminiscent nature of the show also helps account for the nature of the music, which exists to convey emotions rather than progress the story. The folk-inspired tunes under the musical direction of Sarah Pool Wilhelm range from jaunty to solemn. It’s unfortunate that the sound mixing on press night rendered many of the lyrics indecipherable–even the most powerful vocalists were drowned out by the orchestra–but this can be rectified in future performances.

As August explains in his song “The Lion Has Got No Teeth,” the illusions that awe audiences are vast and complex. There are gobs of theatrical magic occurring on and off stage to create the illusions and grand spectacle of “Water for Elephants,” and it is, indeed, awe-inspiring.

“Water for Elephants” runs through Mar. 29, 2026, at Playhouse Square,1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. Visit playhousesquare.org or call (216) 241-6000 for tickets, $35-$139.

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