Water for Elephants has set its closing date on Broadway and will take its last bow on Dec. 8.
The stage adaptation of the book was nominated for a Tony for best musical alongside Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise, Suffs and The Outsiders, which took home the prize. It also received nods for best book of a musical, scenic design of a musical, costume design of a musical, lighting design of a musical best direction of a musical and best choreography.
The story follows an older man reflecting on his younger adventures when he jumped a moving train unsure of where the road would take him after losing what mattered most to him. Along the way, he found a new home with the crew of a traveling circus, as well as a life and love beyond what he ever could’ve imagined.
The musical marked the book’s second adaptation, following a 2011 movie of the same name, starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.
Water for Elephants opened on Broadway on March 21 and will begin its national tour in Baltimore in the fall of 2025. It made its way to Broadway after it had a world premiere in Atlanta in June 2023, with Ryan Vasquez (Hamilton) and Isabelle McCalla (The Prom) portraying the lead roles.
McCalla reprises her role in the Broadway show, starring alongside Kyle Selig (Mean Girls). Gregg Edelman (City of Angels), Paul Alexander Nolan (Slave Play), Philippe Aymard (Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion), Stan Brown (“Homicide: Life in the Streets”), Sara Gettelfinger (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and Wade McCollum (Wicked) round out the main cast. Two-time Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone directs, with a book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice.
Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw were among the many producers of Water for Elephants.
