Photo by Matthew Murphy of MurphyMade
If you have ever opened a novel and felt the words physically jump off the page, “Water for Elephants” is the breathtaking musical manifestation of that sensation. Now playing at the Orpheum Theatre, this production transforms Sara Gruen’s beloved 1932-set bestseller and subsequent 2011 film into a soaring spectacle. Within minutes, the colorful characters are introduced, and a shimmering, albeit tattered, big top complete with world-class acrobats, rises before our eyes.
What sets this adaptation apart is its collaboration with the visionary PigPen Theatre Company. Known for their “folk-noir” storytelling and organic puppetry, PigPen’s influence provides the musical’s rhythmic and soulful backbone. This isn’t just a circus; it is a memory play where the ensemble’s movement and the ingenuity of the design create a visceral sense of wonder. As young Jacob Jankowski finds a new family among the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, the production captures the novel’s gritty romance and the film’s grandeur, all while maintaining a handmade, theatrical intimacy that feels strikingly new.
In the central role of Jacob Jankowski, Zachary Keller delivers a masterclass in narrative gravity. He doesn’t just play the part; he serves as our master storyteller (alongside his senior counterpart), anchoring the swirling chaos of the Benzini Brothers Circus with a grounded, soulful presence. You physically feel the pressure of his grief and the desperate, sudden pull toward a found family, a transition he handles with a heartbreaking sincerity that makes his eventual “leap” onto the moving train feel like our own.
Photo by Matthew Murphy of MurphyMade
As an actor, Keller possesses that rare ability to let the song and story burst forth from his voice, rather than merely performing a song. Every note feels like a necessary emotional exhale, taking the audience along on his journey from a shattered son and veterinary student to a man rediscovering his purpose. Even in a physically demanding role, one that requires him to navigate a stage teeming with acrobats and shifting machinery, he never loses the nuance. He manages to project a “brittle strength,” revealing a character who is emotionally raw yet exhilaratingly resilient. It is a performance of quiet power that balances the spectacle of the big top with the intimate truth of a human heart.
Zakeyia Lacey’s Marlena anchored the ring/stage with a soulful resilience, her vocals tracing the awakening of a woman rediscovering hope. Her connection to the animal puppetry felt profoundly authentic, providing the evening’s most grounded moments. Opposite her, Connor Sullivan’s August is a man with two sides; he balances the “flim-flam” charm of a circus showman with a cut-throat ferocity. By act two, his performance erupts into a terrifying roar as the true beast behind the ringmaster emerges.
For St. Paul native Sam Kellar-Long, opening night at the Orpheum was a homecoming. This was a full-circle moment for a performer who spent 14 years and over 20 productions honing his craft at the legendary Circus Juventas. Stepping into the show as a swing, Kellar-Long put more than a decade of elite training to visceral use, reminding us that he would not be a professional acrobat without that local foundation. His performance was the perfect example of the radical trust these actors place in one another. In a world of high-stakes aerials, this ensemble literally catches each other as they fall, turning years of steady discipline into a display of hometown heart.
Photo by Matthew Murphy of MurphyMade
The design of this touring production is a triumph of artistic make-believe, in which the Benzini Brothers’ world is rendered through the manipulation of silks, raw fabric, and utilitarian rope. These mundane materials undergo a theatrical materialization before our eyes; a length of canvas isn’t just a tent, it becomes a memory, a cage, and a horizon.
This tactile magic delivers emotion in the portrayal of Silver Star, a horse. Yves Artieres inhabits the role and delivers a soul-baring lesson in physical storytelling, suspended above the stage on aerial silks. Through a series of grueling, gravity-defying maneuvers, he uses the silks to evoke the powerful musculature and tragic grace of a living creature. It is a performance of shimmering, athletic nuance; as he twists through the fabric, you don’t just see an aerialist, you feel the literal heartbeat of a creature caught between the cruelty of the ring and the freedom of the air.
This is a production not to be missed, whether you cherish the novel, live for the magic of the theater, or simply crave the chance to run away with the circus for a few hours. It serves as a stirring reminder of the immense power, discipline, and years of relentless training required to sustain a life on the road in a touring musical. We are lucky to have this level of artistry in Minneapolis this week; it is a breathtaking gift to our local stage.
Photo by Matthew Murphy of MurphyMade
