"Water for Elephants" musical coming to Denver; cast explains why it makes a great holiday gift idea

Based on the bestselling critically acclaimed novel, "Water for Elephants" is a new musical about family love and adventure. The musical, which has tickets on sale right now, is coming to Denver in 2026. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts says now is a great time to lock in Christmas and holiday gifts with tickets to the musical.

Unlike most musicals, Water for Elephants combines a wide range of skill sets on stage every night.

"I cannot believe everything that everyone is capable of in this show," said Helen Krushinski, the actress portraying Marlena.

"A lot of the show, there are literally acrobats flying over our heads at points," said Zachary Keller, the actor portraying Jacob Jankowski.

Krushinski and Keller star in the musical, which plays the Buell Theatre from Feb. 11 to 22.

The show follows the journey of a man who's down on his luck. He hops on a train and is thrust into a life with a traveling circus. In order to immerse the audience in that experience, real-life circus acrobats were brought onto the tour to help bring that spectacle to the stage.

"At one point, I get to look out into the audience, and it is cool to see people looking at it in awe and witnessing the spectacle before their eyes," Keller said.

Krushinski admitted she had to learn skill sets beyond her regular dance and singing capabilities. She said it was a unique and fun challenge to be able to try out some acrobatics, and confessed she is amazed by her peers on stage.

"Everyone was super supportive and excited about the acrobats. Internally, I am screaming. But, it is fun to hear the actual screams," Krushinski said.

"People are just roaring with applause," Keller said.

The tour set out around the world to hire the most talented singers, actors, dancers, and acrobats they could find. Because of that, this musical offers something for everyone in a way that other shows have more challenges with.

"There is something for everyone, absolutely," Krushinski said.

And the cast said people of all ages love their show.

"We have children who really enjoy it, and children in the front row and being in awe is really cool," Keller said.

Krushinski said she has heard from seniors who say the show kept them lively and energetic from the start.

However, beyond the spectacle on stage, there is a deeper story to the production.

"It is a story that everyone can really identify with, with the idea of grief and loss and how you process that and how community and chosen family helps you get through that kind of thing," Keller said. "There's a love story wrapped in there. There are acrobats, there are life-sized puppets. So, it really has something for everyone."

If you would like to see Water for Elephants, tickets are on sale ahead of Christmas and the holidays. To buy tickets, click here.

"It really has a lot packed into these two and a half hours," Keller said.

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