Water for Elephants: Visually Striking, Narratively Lacking by Zoey Youngblood

There is always more to a story than meets the eye. Water for Elephants is a relatively new musical that made its way to the Orpheum Theatre on March 3rd. This production held potential to fully portray themes of love, abuse, and resilience. Despite the entertaining talents of the acrobats, the plot became buried beneath all of the spectacle of a circus performance.

A man named Jacob Jankowski endures the tragedy of losing his parents and, in turn, joins the circus. After becoming the circus veterinarian, he falls in love with the wife of the ringmaster, which enters him into a dangerous love triangle. Through his experience working with the Benzini Brothers Circus, Jacob learns what really happens behind all the glitz and glamour of show business. 

The one aspect of this show that really stood out to me was the ensemble performance. Incorporating circus-style tricks gave energy and life to this production. In the song “The Lion Has Got No Teeth,” the ensemble matched the fast paced tempo with an abundance of flips and acrobatics. This show was more trick-heavy than the usual singing, dancing, and acting of other musicals. Despite being an entertaining aspect, there are only so many acrobatic tricks you can watch in one performance.

Jacob Jankowski, played by Zachary Keller, had an impressive vocal belt and overall singing voice. Alongside him, Marlena, played on opening night by understudy Zakeyia Lacey, had a beautiful and gentler voice. During their duet “Wild,” their voices blended together seamlessly, adding a layer of strength to their harmonies. This was my favorite number because it was simple, yet they were able to put so much emotion and power into their vocals. August, played by Connor Sullivan, was an entertaining character to watch; especially during his song “You’ve Got Nothing.” I loved his undertone of passive aggression during his solos. His presence always drew my eyes towards him.

The acting did not hold up as much as other elements in the show. There was so much potential in the plot for the performers to create complex characters. I could see the general idea of the characters, but I felt like their personalities hid behind all of the circus performances. The excessive amount of acrobatics took the focus away from the characters, and I barely got to know them throughout the production. Additionally, several points in the show are meant to be dramatic and emotional; however, much of the line delivery felt stiff.

The highlight of this show was, without a doubt, the animal puppets. I loved the intricate designs and how they maneuvered them, and each animal had a unique design and personality. Rosie the Elephant was the focal point whenever she was on stage. Even though she was a puppet, I could see her carefree spirit and playful attitude. Each limb was individually controlled by a different cast memberand the audiencegasped and pointed at this creation.

Water for Elephants still has a ways to go, but I can say that I had so much fun attending. The acting performance has a lot of room for improvement, however, I really enjoyed watching the acrobatics and puppets. I would recommend stopping by before it leaves on March 8th.