High flying acrobats bring "Water for Elephants" musical alive on stage at Denver Center in February

Next month, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts will bring one of the most talented Broadway touring casts to the Buell Theatre, as "Water for Elephants" immerses audiences in a story about a traveling circus.

"Water for Elephants," which started as a novel and was later adapted as a film, will make its musical debut in Denver from February 11-22. CBS News Colorado received an exclusive advance preview of the production and was taken backstage to meet the talented cast and crew.

"I think this show is so one of a kind," said Summer Severin, dance captain for the production.

The musical is not only filled with talented actors, singers and dancers. It is also peppered with acrobats and other circus performers who are now touring with a musical for the first time.

"We are all intertwining, we are all part of this amazing community," Severin said.

Everyone on the cast is asked to be multi-skilled. That means dancers need to be able to sing, singers need to be able to do acrobatics and more.

"I still can't believe half of the stuff that happens on the stage," Severin said.

The production recruited some of the world's best circus performers to pair with those who have worked in the performing arts.

"It is really hard, and it takes a lot of brains. But, everybody on this project is so dedicated to merging these communities and telling a very singular story through it." Severin said.

Adam Fullick is an acrobat touring with "Water for Elephants." He took CBS News Colorado on a backstage tour of the production as he and his team prepared for their show. Fullick is a former international acrobatics champion who later studied the skill set at a circus school. He traveled with circuses and did some work in television and film before the production contacted him to see if he would be interested in performing live on a Broadway tour.

"This is my first musical theater experience, so it is super nice to work with dancers and singers; that is what makes this production super special for me," Fullick said. "To be able to understand their world and combine it with our world together."

Fullick said he is still getting used to parts of performing in a musical that he hasn't done in prior gigs. However, he is at home when he can showcase his physical skills to the audience on stage.

"In the show, I do around six different circus disciplines," Fullick said.

That includes the Cyr Wheel, a large ring which Fullick can place himself in. He is then able to spin in it at rapid and different angles, requiring strength and more.

"I also do the Chinese pole. So, I climb up a big pole, and I slide down it headfirst," Fullick said.

Those in the audience were heard clapping, cheering and even gasping during the performance.

"As a circus artist, you combine a lot of movement into theater as well. In a setting like this, where you can really develop your character, you can fully express yourself for who you are and give yourself a backstory." Fullick said.

Buying tickets from the DCPA is the best bet to fully absorb the amount of skill sets on display in this musical. For more information on tickets, visit https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/water-for-elephants/

"Everybody who likes to come to a theater for whatever reason finds a reason to love this show," Severin said.

CBS Colorado is a proud partner of the DCPA.