Water for Elephants – A High-Flying Musical Experience

 

A few minutes into Water for Elephants, and I began wondering how the production company ever auditioned for the show. I mean I’ve heard of actors who tripled down as theater characters, dancers and singers, but never one in which they also might have to have acrobatic, juggling and gymnastic skills as well.

It made me recall the first time I watched Sondheim’s Company on Youtube.com, the one staring Raul Esparza as Bobby. Then, I was aghast to see the actors playing musical instruments in between their cameo roles.

Then it dawned on me that some of the acrobats were merely that and may not have been required to dance, sing or act. At any rate, the show is especially acrobatic with some death-defying moments. Like the time a gaggle of gents toss a female actor from place to place through the air like she was some rag doll. Or the way one intrepid fellow shot down a rope head first, stopping just short of the stage by inches. Or the suspended performer who spins on a rope seemingly faster than a whirly-twirly on a windy day. It’s a real kinetic show.

My second memory play in a row, the first being the Public Theater’s Primary Trust, still on at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown, Water’s narrative begins with Mr. Jankowski (Robert Tully) seen as an elderly man in an assisted  living home, recalling his days working in the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.

He joined the troupe by jumping on the circus train soon after his parents died and was left homeless while studying to become a veterinarian. We and the audience are soon introduced to the circus roustabouts and performers. There’s Camel (Javier Garcia), a circus veteran with mobility and alcohol issues. Wade (Grant Honeycut), the circus’ equivalent of a physically intimidating doorman charged with keeping malcontents in line and Walter (Tyler West), short on stature but tall on talent. Note: His front of curtain routine with the versatile Connor Sullivan is one of the musical’s comic highlights. Watch for it.

Zachary Keller, cast in the role of the young (Jacob) Jankowski, has, in the words of one of the carnies “choir boy looks.” Zealous and determined to make a go of the circus life, he’s warned of the possible hard times ahead by his cronies, especially under the hard-handed, emotionally volatile ringmaster, August (again Sullivan in a double role).

Smitten the moment he lays eyes on August’s wife, Marlena (Helen Krushinski), Keller gets to show off his youthfully earnest voice in “Silver Stars,” a ballad luminously lit by Bradley Kingin  with a blue background studded with silver stars.

When August learns of Jacob’s veterinarian background, he hires him on as the company’s animal caregiver. Almost as soon as he slips into his new role, he’s tricked by August into feeding the troupe’s lion. Watching the beast chomp down on his arm is alarming at first, but the sight soon loses its impact when he’s told the lion has no teeth, prompting a song of the same title.

Another noteworthy musical moment comes from Krushinski in another ballad titled “What Do You Do?” Sweet and heartfelt, the tune underscores her commitment to be true to herself.

Zachary Keller Helen Krushinski and Rosie Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Intermittently, throughout the musical, acrobatics and super animated gymnastics wow the crowd, serving much like the big choreography moments in other shows. But co-choreographers, Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, create a showstopper of their own in a feisty revelry danced to a tune titled  “Zostan,” ironically the Polish word for stop.

Which brings us to Rosie, the elephant, added to the troupe when August buys her at a close out sale from the recently defunct Fox Brothers Circus Train. Interestingly, we’re introduced to the pachyderm piecemeal, first with a leaf-like ear, then a leg, later by a silhouette, and finally by a massive display of animal majesty powered by a quintet of roustabouts.

Shades of The Lion King, in addition to the facsimile of the above-mentioned lion, there’s also Agnes the orangutan (Nancy Luna), a horse named Silver Star (Yves Artieres) and Rosie powered by puppeteers Ella Huestis, Bradley Parrish, John Neurohr, Carl Robinett and Grant Huneycutt. As might be expected, Rosie doesn’t sing, but she does roar like a dominant jungle denizen and, get this, understands Polish. (You have to see the musical to understand why).

Zachary Keller, Connor Sullivan, Helen Krushinski, and the cast of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.

Act Two is full of condensed dramatic moments that include animal cruelty, (done, thankfully, behind the scenes), spousal abuse, attempted and successful homicide, an animal menagerie escape and a vengeful Rosie.

One obstacle I had that kept me from completely enjoying the show was the way the narrative unfolds with so many performers on stage at the start. I had a hard time trying to see who was doing the talking and subsequently identifying which characters were which. The fact that the time line shifted from the here and now back to Jankowski’s memory of things past didn’t help matters much either.

Even so, these are trifling issues that failed to negate the bountiful entertainment value of this spectacle-filled musical, drawn from the 2006 novel by Sara Gruen with the book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by Pigpen Theatre Co.

They say an elephant never forgets, and this is one musical you probably won’t forget either. It’s a high flying entertainment experience.

Water for Elephants is one of the selections of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series The show runs at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh through April 5. For tickets, phone 412-456-6666 or https://trustarts.org/production/100748/water-for-elephants.