HomeAboutNewsThe North American Tour of "Water for Elephants" is Coming to PPAC December 2 - 7, 2025

The North American Tour of "Water for Elephants" is Coming to PPAC December 2 - 7, 2025

Monday Aug 18

TICKETS GO ON SALE ON AUGUST 21 AT 10A

Part of the Taco and The White Family Foundation Broadway Series

“STUNNING AND EMOTIONAL. MANY WONDERS AWAIT AUDIENCES IN THIS GORGEOUSLY IMAGINATIVE BROADWAY MUSICAL.”
- The New York Times, Critic’s Pick

“SPELLBINDING ENTERTAINMENT.” – Variety

"★★★★ DAZZLING AND THRILLING.” – Time Out New York

BOOK BY THREE-TIME TONY AWARD NOMINEE RICK ELICE MUSIC AND LYRICS BY PIGPEN THEATRE CO. BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SARA GRUEN ORIGINAL DIRECTION BY TONY AWARD NOMINEE JESSICA STONE

Providence, RI - The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is pleased to announce that the North American tour of the hit Broadway musical WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is coming to PPAC Tuesday, December 2 to Sunday, December 7, 2025. The Providence engagement of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is part of the Taco and The White Family Foundation Broadway Series.

Tickets for WATER FOR ELEPHANTS will go on sale on Thursday, August 21 at 10A and can be purchased at the PPAC Box Office, online at ppacri.org or by calling 401.421.ARTS (2787). The PPAC Box Office is located at 220 Weybosset Street, Providence, RI 02903.

Summer Box Office hours are in effect now through September 1; the Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 10A to 3P and is closed on the weekends and on Monday, September 1 (Labor Day). Regular Box Office hours resume on Tuesday, September 2; they are Monday through Friday, 10A to 5P and Saturday, 10A to 2P.

Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Group Sales Manager Paul Hiatt at 401.574.3162 or emailing phiatt@ppacri.org.

Casting for the North American Tour of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS was recently announced; the tour will be led by Zachary Keller (Jacob), Helen Krushinski (Marlena), Robert Tully (Mr. Jankowski), Connor Sullivan (August), Javier Garcia (Camel), Ruby Gibbs (Barbara), Grant Huneycutt (Wade) and Tyler West (Walter). Additional ensemble performers include Fran Alvarez Jara, Yves Artieres, Chris Carsten, Adam Fullick, Nancy Gutierrez, Ella Huestis, Sam Kellar-Long, ZaKeyia Lacey, Andrew Meier, Marina Mendoza, John Neurohr, Bradley Parrish, Carl Robinett, Summer Severin, Serafina Walker and Yemie Woo.

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.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is based on the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling novel by Sara Gruen. The Broadway musical has a book by four-time Tony Award® nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux), with tour direction by Ryan Emmons, recreating the original direction by Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo).

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS features circus design by Tony Award nominee Shana Carroll (The 7 Fingers); choreography by Tony Award nominees Jesse Robb (Miss Saigon) and Shana Carroll, scenic design by Drama Desk Award winner Takeshi Kata (Clyde’s); costume design by David Israel Reynoso (Sleep No More); lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Bradley King (Hadestown); sound design by Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Walter Trarbach (Spongebob Squarepants); projections by David Bengali (The Thanksgiving Play); hair & makeup design by Luc Verschuren/Campbell Young Associates (A Beautiful Noise); puppet design by Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman, Camille Labarre (Into the Woods), puppet direction by Joshua Holden, music supervision and arrangements by Drama Desk Award winner Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Some Like It Hot) and Benedict Braxton-Smith (Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls), orchestrations by Tony Award winner Daryl Waters (New York, New York), Benedict Braxton-Smith and August Eriksmoen, fight direction by Cha Ramos (Jagged Little Pill), associate circus design by Antoine Boissereau, associate choreography by Paige Parkhill and casting by The TRC Company, Claire Burke, CSA & Frankie Ramirez, CSA.

The WATER FOR ELEPHANTS tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Kathleen Carragee and is supported by Stage Manager Maris Keller and Circus Stage Manager Stan Barile. The company management team is led by company manager Heather Moss with associate company manager Taylor Parris. The tour music director/conductor is Sarah Pool Wilhelm. Mimi Intagliata serves as the Executive Producer for the production.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS had its world premiere in Atlanta on The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre, running from June 7, 2023, through July 9, 2023. The critically acclaimed production had The Atlanta Journal-Constitution raving, “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a triumph! Truly dazzles.” WATER FOR ELEPHANTS premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre, running from March 20, 2024, through December 8, 2024. The production was a New York Times Critic’s Pick, with chief NYT theater critic Jesse Green describing the show as “Huge,” “Heart-filling” and “Emotionally vivid.”