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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,...

Water For Elephants, the Jessica Stone-directed musical adaptation of the bestselling Sara Gruen romantic novel, will play its final performance at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on Sunday, December 8, having played 301 regular performances and 25 previews since February.

Though one of the better reviewed musicals of the spring 2024 season, the show didn’t quite attain the must-see status of some other spring arrivals like The Outsiders, Stereophonic, Hell’s Kitchen, The Great Gatsby or Cabaret. Still, the musical, which originally starred Grant Gustin, held its own, sometimes topping $1 million in weekly grosses, or coming close.

The figures have been slipping in recent weeks through, with Gustin ending his limited run to be replaced by Kyle Selig.

The most recent box office figures – for the week ending September 29 – were at the lower end of the Broadway roster, with just 62% of seats filled at the Imperial.

Grant Gustin, TV’s star of The Flash, will play the final performance of his well-received limited run in the Broadway musical Water For Elephants on Sunday, September 1, producers announced today.

Gustin, who also appeared in Glee, plays the character Jacob Jankowski in the musical, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus.

Replacement casting will be announced at a later date.

The musical, with a book by Rick Elice adapted from Sara Gruen’s novel, is directed by Jessica Stone, and features a score by PigPen Theatre Co.

In addition to Gustin, who made his Broadway debut in the show, the feature cast for Water For Elephants also includes Isabelle McCalla, Gregg Edelman, Paul Alexander Nolan, Stan Brown, Joe De Paul, Sara Gettelfinger, and Wade McCollum.

Water For Elephants...

Grant Gustin is officially a Broadway star!

The 34-year-old The Flash and Glee actor celebrated the opening night of his new musical Water for Elephants on Thursday (March 21) at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.

Grant was joined on the red carpet by his co-stars Isabelle McCalla, Gregg Edelman, Paul Alexander Nolan, Joe De Paul, Sara Gettelfinger, Stan Brown, and Wade McCollum.

Grant is playing the role of Jacob Jankowski in the stage adaptation of the beloved novel by Sara Gruen. Robert Pattinson played the role in the film adaptation back in 2011.

Here’s the synopsis: After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes...

Grant Gustin, longtime star of the CW’s The Flash, will make his Broadway debut in the new musical Water for Elephants, producers announced today.

Gustin, who also appeared in the TV series Glee, will portray main character Jacob Jankowski in a cast that also includes Isabelle McCalla, Gregg Edelman (City of Angels), Paul Alexander Nolan (Slave Play), Stan Brown (Homicide: Life on the Street), Joe De Paul (Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion), Sara Gettelfinger (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and Wade McCollum (Wicked).

Watch Gustin and McCalla perform the song “Wild” from Water for Elephants in the newly released video above.

The musical, based on the Sara Gruen 2006 novel that was made into a 2011 film that starred Robert Pattinson in the Jacob role, begins previews on Saturday, February 24, at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre. Opening night is Thursday, March 21.

Water For Elephants features a book by Rick Elice and a score by PigPen Theatre Company (The Tale of Despereaux). Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo) directs.

Alliance Theatre production of ‘Water for Elephants’

The casting was announced today by producers Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, and Seth A. Goldstein. Additional casting to be announced soon.

The synopsis: “After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life – and love – beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.”

Gustin’s stage credits include a touring production of West Side Story. He joined the cast of Glee in the musical series’ third season, portraying Sebastian Smythe, the lead of Dalton Academy’s singing group the Warblers. Film credits include Krystal and Affluenza. He’s played The Flash‘s Barry Allen since the series debut in 2014 and continued through its final episode in May of this year. He also made several crossover appearances on Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl.

McCalla is currently starring as Maizy in Shucked on Broadway, and she originated the role of Alyssa Greene in The Prom and played Princess Jasmine in Aladdin both on Broadway and the North American Tour. She originated the role of Marlena in the world premiere of Water for Elephants at the Alliance Theatre this past summer.

For his role as the real-life Lyle Mitchell, husband to the woman who helped two Clinton Correctional Facility, N.Y., inmates escape in Showtime’s limited series “Escape at Dannemora,” Eric Lange gained 40 pounds and wore a wig and a set of fake teeth. The physical transformation helped him get inside the mind of the man who “could smell smoke, but hoped there wasn’t a fire,” Lange says, regarding the fractures in his marriage. In the fourth episode, Lyle goes from trying to rekindle a spark with his wife to seeing his suspicions about her grow, culminating in a drunken confrontation.

Lange: “It’s not often that you get to be so different from who you are. Many times you’re hired to be a version of yourself: ‘Put on a suit, and now you’re a lawyer!’ But this felt more like theater, and it was a rare opportunity,...