The touring musical “Water for Elephants” delivers standout circus spectacle and lively performances at the Nederlander Theatre, but its plot relies on convenient twists and repetitive songs that leave the story feeling thin.
There’s a moment in the musical “Water for Elephants. ” now playing at the Nederlander Theatre on a national tour. when the show itself seems to warn you what you’re about to be asked to believe. The song “The Lion Has Got No Teeth” lays out the deceptions of the circus—how audiences are treated as “rubes. ” and how they’re encouraged to see feats as more impressive than they really are.
It’s a sharp idea to put in front of a room full of people paying for wonder. The production’s best scenes make that wonder real. The parts that follow—especially the story mechanics—don’t always keep up with the craft.
At the center is Jacob Jankowski (Zachary Keller), a veterinary student who leaves school after the death of his parents. He hops a train that carries the Benzini Brothers circus, and when he identifies the hopelessness of the case of the horse Silver Star, he’s hired immediately as the circus’ vet.
Silver Star performs with Marlena (Helen Krushinski), who is married to August (Connor Sullivan), the ringmaster and circus owner. August is abusive to both the animals and Marlena, and that cruelty becomes the obstacle to the romance the show seems to have already charted for Jacob and Marlena.
After Silver Star’s death, the circus acquires Rosie the elephant, and Marlena tries to build an act with her. It isn’t working—until Jacob blurts out “Stop!” in Polish. The plot suddenly swings, with the convenient turn being that Rosie is evidently fluent in Polish but unable to learn any English.
In the second half, Marlena and Jacob plan to take Rosie and run off together, “presumably somewhat slowly.” Then the story’s earlier foreshadowing finally cashes out in a chaotic stampede that scrambles the intentions of everyone watching.
The production’s circus work is where it genuinely takes the breath away. The acrobatics are impressive. and in the show’s larger numbers. the physicality is integrated with Broadway-style choreography in a way that feels earned. At several points. the directing leans into the attention overload of a classic three-ring circus. with so much happening at once that it becomes its own kind of choreography.
Even the more artful choices land. The animals are portrayed through puppetry. Silver Star. for instance. is staged as a horse’s head and a white-costumed performer on aerial silks (Yves Artières). Silver Star’s death is represented through a downward tumble. Later. there’s a dream sequence in the second half that shuffles elements from elsewhere in the show amid acrobatic dancing. rings. and trapezes.
The art direction also supports the feel of a traveling, temporary show. Rolling scaffolds are used for multiple purposes. and a big top pole is pushed into view in front of the audience. including a fun moment when a performer pushes up the pole and then the pole pulls him up. staying rigid as it rises and winding up parallel to the ground.
But for all that spectacle. the musical’s own “teeth” don’t quite show up in the story and the music. The contrivances that push the plot forward—especially the Polish deus ex machina—don’t feel earned. The construction has a set-it-up, knock-it-down quality that makes what’s coming too obvious, leaving gaps.
One example comes early: the show tells the audience that if the band ever starts playing “The Stars and Stripes Forever. ” everyone should drop everything and run. That premise is held in mind by the audience. but later. during the stampede. the band plays a Sousa march rather than the specific piece the story had promised would trigger panic. The mismatch lands as a missed chance to make the tension feel consistent rather than convenient.
The music follows a similar uneven pattern, even with excellent voices throughout. Marlena’s lullaby to Silver Star, “Easy,” is described as aimless pentatonic noodling delivered in a pure-toned, soothing, lovely voice. “Wild,” a duet between Marlena and Jacob, leans too heavily on its title word. “Zostań,” a companywide folky verse-and-chorus song, is painfully repetitive.
And even the show’s title. “Water for Elephants. ” has a stretch where you can feel the story not quite answering the question it invites. In the first half. the only explanation offered is that it’s an old circus joke: someone asks another person to carry water for elephants. In the second half. the show says you can’t carry water for the elephants because they drink too much to be practical. What it never explains is how the elephants actually get enough to drink.
The result is a show that excels at circus. The problem is that it often doesn’t have the narrative muscle to match its physical ambition—so when the spectacle is over, the story doesn’t quite stay with you.
Water for Elephants Nederlander Theatre musical theater circus acts Broadway Zachary Keller Helen Krushinski Connor Sullivan Jacob Jankowski Marlena August Rosie the elephant Silver Star