Water for Elephants – The Musical at Music Hall at Fair Park

“Stunning, emotional, heart-filled and gorgeously imaginative.” – The New York Times

Adventure and excitement awaits you, Dallas! 

It’s a brilliant integration of breathtaking circus artistry, innovative puppetry, eye-popping acrobatics, raw energy, jaw-dropping stunts, stunning Americana-infused music, perfect vocal deliveries, masterful character-embodiments, and impeccable theatricality, underlined by a gorgeous historic romantic tale of impossible love in a world of beauty and brutality; it’s an impressive, beautiful, and deeply moving theatrical experience; and it’s the one production coming your way soon that you really need to make every effort to see! 

Trust us, we’ve experienced it before – and it’s nothing short of breathtaking! That’s right Dallas, Water For Elephants is coming to the Music Hall at Fair Park!

Water For Elephants Tickets

Tickets are already selling fast due to the exceptionally high demand, so make sure to head on down to the Music Hall’s box office now to get yours before they’re all sold out! Alternatively, if you’d rather not risk missing out, not getting your preferred seats, or being too late, we’d recommend that you skip the queue by simply clicking on the Buy Tickets link. This will redirect you to the world’s most reliable online marketplace TicketSqueeze.com, where you’ll be able to select your preferred seats, process the transaction, and download your buyer-guaranteed tickets to your phone within minutes! 

“Much else in ‘Water For Elephants’ has its pleasures – the score, the singing, the puppetry, the acting, even the love story – but nothing else matches the circus artistry for its originality, variety and consistency.” – New York Theatre

SYNOPSIS

When a young veterinarian-student Jacob Jankowski loses his parents in a car crash and is left penniless and hopeless, he jumps onto a moving train, only to find out that the train belongs to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The struggling circus’ ringmaster hires Jacob as the circus’ veterinarian upon learning of Jacob’s prior studies in this field, and Jacob quickly forms a bond with Marlena, the circus’ beautiful equestrian performer. This poses a challenge, as Marlena is married to the circus’ ringmaster August – a charismatic, yet volatile man. 

In an effort to save the struggling circus, August acquires the elephant Rosie, which Jacob discovers understands commands spoken in Polish. Marlena and Jacob successfully train Rosie, but this leads to violent outbursts from August, as tensions reach a boiling point. 

Water For Elephants is a production that will have you leave with your heart full, your mind satisfied, and the wonders of what you have experienced safely captured among your favorite memories. It is the perfect balance of beauty and brutality, underlined by a gorgeous story and in our personal opinion after experiencing it for ourselves, will be one of the best and most tastefully executed productions you’ve ever experienced!  

“There’s everything we want and more in a dramatic story” – Revue

CREATIVE TEAM

Water For Elephants, with fantastic folk and Americana-infused music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Company and incredible book by Rick Elice, is based on Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel of the same name – a heart-rending romantic drama set in the magical world of circus artistry that translates beautifully to the stage. 

With a brilliant injection of circus stunts, innovative puppetry, and acrobatics, original director Jessica Stone (As You Like It, Kate Hamill’s Vanity Fair, Barefoot In The Park, Dancing At Lughnasa, Bad Dates) has created an unparalleled theatrical journey everybody needs to experience, and with immaculate skill, tour director Ryan Emmons (Miss Saigon, Matilda The Musical, Sugarcraft, Pair, Medea) has perfectly recreated the original staging. 

The visionary directors are supported by a world-renowned creative team, featuring co-choreographer and circus designer Shana Carroll, co-choreographer Jesse Robb, scenic designer Takeshi Kata, costume designer David I. Reynoso, lighting designer Bradley King, sound designer Walter Trarbach, projection designer David Bengali, hair and makeup designer Luc Verschueren for Campbell Young Associates, props and puppetry designers Ray Wetmore, J.R. Goodman and Camille Labarre, puppet director Joshua Holden, co-arranger Mary-Mitchell Campbell, co-music supervisor, co-arranger and co-orchestrator Benedict Braxton-Smith, co-orchestrators Daryl Waters and August Eriksmoen, music director Sarah Pool, music coordinator John Mezzio, fight director Cha Ramos, associate choreographer Paige Parkhill, associate circus designer Antoine Boissereau, production stage manager Kathleen Carragee, assistant stage manager Riley Gibson, and stage manager Maris Keller. 

“Director Ryan Emmons faithfully recreates Jessica Stone’s original staging, while the circus design and a superb cast deliver something truly spectacular.” – Stage and Cinema

CAST

The critics had it right – “many wonders await audiences in this gorgeously imaginative Broadway musical” (The New York Times).

When a visit to the old Big Top meets theatre, pure high-calibre artistry meets kinetic energy, a gorgeous story meets jaw-dropping stunts, and wonderfully delivered music meets the razzle dazzle, magic is bound to happen, and at the core of it all, is a stellar, highly skilled cast. 

Audiences should get ready to be completely blown away by the talents of Zachary Keller (John Proctor Is The Villain, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, And Then There Were None, Spring Awakening) as Jacob Jankowski, Helen Krushinski (An American In Paris, Camelot, The Wild Party) as Marlena, Connor Sullivan as August, Robert Tully as Mr. Jankowski, Javier Garcia as Camel, Ruby Gibbs as Barbara, Grant Huneycutt as Wade, and Tyler West among others. 

“It’s the Big Top-like entertainment, especially the heart-stopping acrobatics, which are not just athletically spectacular, but often visually beautiful and emotionally expressive, enhancing the dancing and even advancing the story.” –  New York Theatre

HISTORY & LEGACY

In 2006 author Sara Gruen released an award-winning historic romance novel perfectly leaning itself to be recreated on stage, creating a theatrical experience unlike anything ever seen before. With fantastic music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Company and a great book by Rick Elice, Water For Elephants premiered in June 2023 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, and subsequently opened in Broadway’s Imperial Theatre in March 2024 to rave reviews. A massive North American tour kicked off in September 2025 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, with dates in all the major venues across the nation lined up. 

To date, Water For Elephants has racked up no less than an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award, four Drama Desk Awards, and two Chita Rivera Awards, along with seven Tony Award nominations. 

“The acrobatics and aerial work are a sight to behold.” – BroadwayWorld

THE MUSIC HALL AT FAIR PARK

The iconic Music Hall at Fair Park, situated on 909 1st Avenue, Dallas, has been entertaining the nation with its exceptional selection of the very best for just over a century. 

The historic venue, with its Spanish Baroque architecture with Moorish influences, six stair towers topped with cast domes, arcade porches overlooking Fair Park, and arched entrances is not only breathtaking from the outside, but features a glorious interior too. The stunning auditorium, also boasting Spanish Baroque architecture, is designed to host large-scale productions, featuring seating for 3,420 patrons across an orchestra floor and balcony with tiered views of the stage, ensuring impeccable sight-lines. The Music Hall features state-of-the-art sound and lighting and pin-drop acoustics – here, every single seat is a fantastic seat!

The Music Hall at Fair Park boasts some of the best amenities you could hope for in a world-class venue, including an on-site restaurant offering buffet and bistro-style meals, concession stands, easy wheelchair access, great restroom facilities, coat check, and a spacious lobby. 

“The stunning ensemble and their effortless combination of acrobatics, choreography, puppetry, and song are probably worth the ticket alone.” – BroadwayWorld