WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Broadway Previews- Page 8

[FormerLurker]

Posted: 3/20/24 at 11:45pm

I was there tonight too and I'm with you . I saw it on 3/6 the first time and while i think i enjoyed maybe more than you did  (and the audience gave it a standing O then too), it has improved by leaps and bounds. Everything clicked and i was genuinely moved multiple times, enjoyed the music in context, and was astonished all over again at what was happening on stage.  Everyone around me seemed to be loving it too. 

BTW i should state like another poster here i have been following the boards and saw the show twice, and i'm usually a lurker and don't generally post. But i too have been coaxed out of hiding to say how much I loved this show. 

[AntV]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 4:58am

What is the running time now? Did they trim it down to 2:30?

[BJR]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 9:23am

I can see why some enjoy this but I found it incredibly wanting. A forgettable score with mostly banal lyrics that rarely moves the plot forward, and a book that moves between cliche and unfocused. I like PigPen, so I was optimistic. But after the first couple numbers, the score goes downhill. The energy of the first couple numbers disappeared quick and then, it's clear energy was all they had.

That said, the circus tricks are wonderful. And when the show should have the most meaning and emotion, in the climax of Act 2, we once again go into an extended sequence of tricks. And I don't blame them, because they're impressive enough to distract you.

In no way offensively bad, just sadly banal.

 

[Musical Theatre Prof.]

Posted: 3/21/24 at 12:27pm

Looking back at time stamps on my phone, the running time for the recent performance of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS that I attended was approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes. It did not feel long to me as an audience member.

[CJRochester]

Posted: 3/28/24 at 11:47am

I saw this last night and very much enjoyed it. The circus acrobatics are very impressive and the story is heartwarming. I’m not sure why folks complained about the elephant. I thought it was fine, and quite appropriate. It got plenty of applause when it was revealed. The aerial acrobatics, especially the one about the injured horse, were breathtaking. 

The show ran 2 hours, 40 minutes. 

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 4/22/24 at 9:47pm

I attended multiples shows last week and this was one if them. I enjoyed it. It isn't award winning theatre IMO but it was good. A talented cast did a great job working with a score that just was okay. The circus set was fun. I like it. Again, zero groundbreaking theatre here but it's worth the price of admission. 

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 5/22/24 at 11:49pm

Seeing this tonight made me realize that I need to give myself permission to leave at intermission if I am not connecting with a show. I stuck around for Act 2 and regret doing so. The music, as others have said, is sorely lacking. Any momentum is ground to a halt whenever a song begins. Unfortunately, Grant Gustin has the type of voice where, if you heard him singing at karaoke, you'd go 'huh, he's pretty good!!' - but you probably wouldn't think 'huh, he should star in a Broadway musical!' 

On the positive side: The acrobatic performers were wonderful; I was so delighted to see Sara Gettelfinger on stage again (though I wish she had more to do); Paul Alexander Nolan is magnetic, and the only time I wasn't aware of every passing second was when he was center stage. 

[persephone88]

Posted: 5/23/24 at 11:16am

I was hoping Paul Alexander Nolan might pick up a Tony nod for best supporting, but it was a tough category competition wise this year. I thought he did a terrific job with the role!

[starlightlocamotion]

Posted: 6/4/24 at 11:49pm

I was there tonight. The show is spell binding. It moves like a gust of wind. Clockwork. Truly wild what Jessica Stone accomplished on the directorial side of things. I particularly loved EASY in act one with the silk performer representing the animals pain. Beautiful. Honestly ... the score worked for me. I can see it definitely being divisive. But again, it works. The direction, the choreography, the score/book, the cast ... it's really very strong. I understand the critics pick. I would much rather this take home the gold over a jukebox musical. But I am not sure that this elephant is even in the race. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/5/24 at 9:26am

To my surprise, I'm actually returning two months later, thanks to TDF, seeing the matinee this afternoon. Since my initial exposure, I've kinda fallen for the dropped score on Spotify, and believe much of it is the real deal. It's a rare show nowadays that doesn't depend on a succession of pop power ballads. If the second act numbers offer fewer hooks ("Wild" aside, which is both sweet and hot), the music here - evoking the best of Bright Star and whiffs of Big River - is actual theater music.  

Updated On: 6/5/24 at 09:26 AM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/5/24 at 10:20am

This show was a total surprised, the best new musical of the season, no contest.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/6/24 at 12:13pm

The show was in gorgeous shape at yesterday's matinee. This is one of the hardest working companies on Broadway, the trio of young characters all at the top of their game. I've become a major fan of Paul Alexander Nolan's, the production's MVP indeed, a musical theater machine as the force of antagonism. Gustin has grown, as has - at least to my eyes - Edelman. The divided/shared character seemed especially moving in the second act yesterday. Observation: the ravishing lighting design, certainly lovely from the front mezz, seemed more so from rear orchestra. It's a beautiful, elegant physical production, the lighting - those footlight and wings placed splays of stark white beams - so evocative and magical. The balletic action sequences in act 2 - no spoilers - make indelible impressions. One of the best directed shows currently running, the complex story laid out clearly and imaginatively.  The audience yesterday was thrilled: you can feel the happy release on the exit from the Imperial.  

Updated On: 6/6/24 at 12:13 PM