A musical based on Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel Water for Elephants will hit Broadway next spring, Deadline reports.
Gruen’s novel, published by Algonquin in 2006, follows a young veterinary student who is hired by a circus to take care of its animals. He soon falls in love with both an equestrian and an untrainable elephant. The book was adapted into a 2011 film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz.
The musical adaptation will be directed by Jessica Stone, who earned a Tony nomination earlier this year for Kimberly Akimbo. It features a book by Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. The musical had its premiere last year at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. In a review for Rough Draft Atlanta, critic Manning Harris called it “spectacular and one-of-a-kind.”
“What excites me most about Water For Elephants is working with our enormous design and creative team, an incredible group of artists from different avenues of storytelling,” Stone said. “From Broadway veterans to puppeteers to circus artists—we have an eclectic collection of internationally acclaimed and innovative creators.”
There’s no news as of yet on casting for the musical, which is slated to open at Imperial Theatre on Broadway on March 21.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
