The dark underbelly of the greatest show on earth is on full display here at “Water For Elephants,” a new musical that is the honest-to-god definition of what it means to perfectly find the balance between spectacle and gorgeous storytelling. Never read the book, never saw the film, and I still was enthralled for every single minute of it! Rick Elice’s book, while maybe slightly undercooked and choppy when it comes to the second act, has created a fabulous storyline that is intense, gripping, humorous, heartfelt, and incredibly 4-dimensional when it comes to its characters. There’s so many rich layers and emotions to unpack and peel back on each of them, and, as a writer, I haven’t experienced or noticed that for a musical in a very long time. PigPen Theatre Co.’s score is just as well crafted as the book. A nice good old fashioned traveling sound and pastiche vaudevillian vibe you get in the films of the past that blends together so beautifully, but still very much contemporary with its honest and at-times-sinister lyricism, and yet it beautifully erupts with yearning, jealousy, chaos, tomfoolery, hope, and reflection in a rainbow that’s just as a colorful as the fantastic costuming, lighting, sound, mind blowing puppetry, and, above all, the choreography that so seamlessly crosses the boundaries between dance and circus acts (your jaw will drop at every death-defying moment Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll have created). All credit for all of this fabulousness goes to the great Jessica Stone; without her brilliant mind at the helm of this show, who knows what this production would’ve turned out to be. She’s just as strong a contender for this year’s award competition as all the other feminine directors who are very likely to dominate the category this year (bravo, brava!). This is also one of the more energetic casts to hit the stage this season as well! With the suaveness and earnestness of Grant Gustin, the emotionally driven and arc-defining ability of Isabella McCalla, the brooding, at-times truly terrifying Paul Alexander Nolan, and the sweet charmer that is Greg Edelman leading the show, and an ensemble that possesses more flexibility than any rubber band, your in the greatest of hands to ensure you are thoroughly entertained, transported, and moved emotionally. I cannot believe how much I’ve fallen in love with “Water For Elephants,” one of the biggest and grandest surprises this season’s offered by far. Step right up to the Imperial Theater and bask in the awesomeness only this show can provide.
