PPAC’s ‘Water for Elephants’ Dazzles

PROVIDENCE, RI — The musical “Water for Elephants,” which opened at Providence Performing Arts Center Tuesday, and runs through Sunday, features dazzling spectacle and high-energy choreography.

During the Great Depression, a despondent Jacob Jankowski (Zachary Keller) joins a travelling circus following the death of his parents. He begins performing menial labor and eventually is hired as a veterinarian. 

The circus is operated by husband and wife Marlena (Helen Krushinski) and August (Connor Sullivan). 

Marlena and August do not have a happy marriage. August is too cheap to provide proper food for the animals. He is a ruthless businessman with little regard for his workers.

Eventually, Jacob falls in love with Marlena. August finds out and turns violent. 

The most disturbing moment in the show features an act of abuse on one of the circus elephants.

“Water for Elephants” was adapted by Rick Elice from Sara Gruen’s novel. The music and lyrics are by the Pigpen Theatre Company. The production opened on Broadway in 2024.

The acrobatics and puppetry in this show are spectacular. We see performers hanging off poles, swinging from wires, and doing backflips and leaps into the air.

The star attraction is Rose, the elephant, operated by puppeteers. Jacob and Marlena realize Rose responds only if they speak Polish.

A beautiful scene features Marlena singing a tribute to her sick horse, Silver Star (puppeteer and acrobat Yves Artieres). 

The circus also has a lion named Rex (Adam Fullick) and an orangutan named Agnes (Nancy Luna).

Keller, Krushinski, Sullivan, and Robert Tully as an older Jacob, deliver fine performances, along with Javier Garcia as the good-natured manager Camel and Grant Huneycutt as the hot-tempered Wade.

The orchestra, under the direction of Sarah Pool Wilhelm, provides fantastic accompaniment to the story.

I also liked Takeshi Kata’s elegant scenic design and David I. Reynoso’s fabulous costumes.

Where the show falls short is the characterizations. Jacob is a bland and generic protagonist. He’s handsome and sincere in his concern for the animals, but that’s it. There’s nothing really driving him. No mission. No goals. He’s sort of aimless.

August is a one-dimensional villain. He shouts a lot but isn’t very interesting.

The romance between Jacob and Marlena is dull. There’s no passion or electricity between these characters. Their duet “Wild” had the potential to be exciting but comes off flat.

At its’ core, “Water for Elephants” is about living with grief. Jacob learns the best way to deal with loss is to keep doing what you love. 

The show also spotlights the mistreatment of animals in a circus. There are very dark moments in the story. Circus life isn’t easy for the performers, or the animals. They suffer for our amusement.

Is “Water for Elephants” worth seeing? Absolutely, if you’re looking for a few hours of fun, you get your money’s worth. It looks great, it sounds great, and the performers are attractive. For audiences, that might be enough to take a trip to the theater.

Water for Elephants runs through December 7. Providence Performing Arts Center. 220 Weybosset St., Providence, RI. Runtime is 2 hours with intermission. For tickets, visit ppacri.org.