Water for Elephants at DPAC Is Opulent and Visually Mesmerizing
This article was published by Triangle Review on 18 December 2025.
Water for Elephants, playing now through Sunday at the Durham Performing Arts Center, delivers a big top of expectations. Adapted from Sara Gruen's bestselling 2006 novel, with a book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co., the musical opened on Broadway in 2024, and earned seven 2024 Tony Award® nominations, including one for Best Musical. That pedigree is evident in a production that is lush, kinetic, and emotionally resonant, conjuring both the romance and the brutality of circus life during the Great Depression.
The story is framed through memory. We first meet the elder Jacob Jankowski (Robert Tully), as an elderly Polish-American man living in an assisted living facility. A visit to O'Brien's One-Ring Circus sparks his recollections; and with theatrical sleight of hand, the stage transforms into the Benzini Brothers Circus camp, an audiovisual feast of performers rehearsing, workers erecting tents, and train cars rumbling in and out,
In these memories, young Jacob (Zachary Keller) is newly orphaned and adrift, having abandoned his veterinary studies after his parents' sudden deaths. He jumps a train on impulse and lands among the roustabouts of the Benzini Brothers Circus, where Camel (a standout Chris Carsten, subbing for Javier Garcia) persuades him to work "just for one day." That day stretches into something far more consequential.
Jacob meets Marlena, the luminous animal trainer played by Helen Krushinski, and her husband August, the volatile ringmaster embodied with chilling intensity by Connor Sullivan. When August discovers Jacob's veterinary training, he appoints him circus vet -- an honor that quickly reveals the dark underbelly of Benzini's glittering spectacle.
What this NETworks Presentations LLC2025-26 touring production of Water for Elephantsdoes exceptionally well is present the circus in all its complexity. The production's greatest strengthlies in its multifaceted staging: the gymnastic feats of the performers, the omnipresent train that serves as both home and workplace, the communal labor of raising and striking the big top and, of course, the animals -- rendered here through breathtaking puppetry.
Scene changes are accomplished during the actors' acrobatics and movement rather than blackouts, keeping the show in perpetual motion. The embodiment of the traveling circuses of old is real -- and magical.
In addition to the acrobatics and clear singing prowess of every actor, the puppets are masterful and mesmerizing in their size, detail, and manipulation. A ginormous shadow puppet, a sole trunk, then legs and feet -- the elephant Rosie appears gradually, so that when her full-body puppet is revealed, she is both imposing and strangely tender. Through these puppets, the production confronts the cruelty inflicted on animals in early 20th-century circuses without sensationalism.
Rosie's arrival -- after the circus is forced to put down its star horse -- is a turning point, not only for the plot but for the emotional temperature of the show. As Jacob and Marlena are tasked with training her, their growing bond ignites August's violent jealousy, setting the story on its tragic course.
Musically, the show is rich and varied. PigPen Theatre Co.'s score leans heavily into bluegrass and folk, grounding the spectacle in an earthy Americana that suits the era. Group numbers, such as "Anywhere/Another Train," "The Road Don't Make You Young," and "Squeaky Wheel," are foot-stomping crowd-pleasers, all of which have lyrics that make you laugh, think, or both. Chris Carsten's vocals are a consistent highlight; and Helen Krushinski is hypnotic in solos, such as "Easy" and "What Do You Do."
The supporting cast adds texture and heart. Tyler West, as Walter, the circus's little person, is contagiously funny, delivering his lines and antics with impeccable timing and no trace of overplaying. Grant Huneycutt'sWade, the bouncer and heavy-lifter, and Ruby Gibbs' Barbara, the head dancer, each deliver soulful, gospel-tinged solos that are both celebratory and defiant.
If the production has a weakness, it lies in the script. A handful of songs feel extraneous; and the ending arrives too quickly, resolving complex emotional threads with a neatness that strains credibility. Still, this flaw occupies only the final 15 minutes and does little to diminish the overall impact of the experience.
Originally directed by Jessica Stone, directed on tour by Ryan Emmons and choreographed by Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants is clean and appropriate for children in about third grade and up, making it an excellent choice for families visiting over the holidays. Beyond its entertainment value, it offers young audiences a thoughtful glimpse into what circuses once were -- and why modern circuses have shifted their focus to human performers rather than animals. Opulent, visually mesmerizing, and often deeply moving, Water for Elephants is well worth the journey to the big top.
