By Douglas Friedman in San Diego
For musical theatre lovers in San Diego who don’t necessarily follow Broadway premieres from 2500 miles away, and whose first exposure to new shows may be a song performed during the Tony Awards broadcast or the national tours that follow, Water for Elephants is one of those that may have flown slightly under the radar for you.
It was for me. And I was overjoyed to discover it this week at Broadway San Diego.
With lively music and boisterous choreography, Water for Elephants is the story of a young veterinary student who after his world crashes around him, hitches a ride on a train and becomes enmeshed with a cast of characters one may only find in a traveling circus during the peak of the Great Depression.
Narrated by the central character, Jacob Jankowski decades later, the story in flashback is colorful, compelling and energetically delivered.
The central love story is between young Jacob (Zachary Keller) and the circus’ star performer Marlena (Helen Krushinski), who at the time of their meeting is married to the play’s antagonist August, the charismatic circus owner and ringmaster who hides his villainy under a mask of charm broken at times by occasional bursts of violence.
But at the show’s emotional center is Rosie, the elephant who comes into their lives and challenges her human handlers until Jacob makes a breakthrough. The puppetry (operating the giant pachyderm are three cast members) is as impressive as that seen in musicals including The Lion King and War Horse.
The characters’ motivations are clear and performed by a sterling cast; what stood out most for me was the storyline woven into the music, at times lively yet appropriately moving in the more emotional moments. As some of the storyline’s important details relayed through music lyrics early in the show may be missed while accompanied by a full orchestra, I recommend reading a synopsis of the play prior to seeing it.
The optics are simple yet perfectly suited to the San Diego Civic Theatre stage, from the opening musical number on a train to the rising tent of the “big top” with dozens of amazing circus feats a feast for the eyes.
Jacob’s songs “I Choose the Ride” and “Silver Stars,” as well as Marlena’s “Easy” were standout numbers for me, but every ensemble number had the energy and authenticity of many actual circus performers who executed the spellbinding choreography.
In the talkback with performers after Wednesday night’s performance, I asked Zach Keller how he compared his interactions with the puppet elephant Rosie to the human actors in the cast. He said he treated his on-stage moments with Rosie just as he would with anyone in the cast and had actually benefited from spending time during rehearsals with a live elephant at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Interactions like feeling a wet trunk taking food from his hand elicited actual reactions which he incorporated into the show.
While I wasn’t aware of it during its Broadway run of 300 performances, I can’t imagine Water for Elephants being produced more colorfully or energetically than its weeklong run at the Civic Theatre here in San Diego, now through August 23.
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Douglas Friedman is a television writer and marketing executive.