The producers of ‘Water for Elephants’ will launch the show’s first national tour from Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre in the fall of 2025.
The announcement, first made this week on Playbill.com, means the stage musical will be the fourth Broadway show to launch from the Hippodrome since Maryland’s General Assembly in 2022 approved the Maryland Theatrical Tax Credit Program. The program, which went into effect on July 1, 2022, was designed to encourage theater producers to start national touring productions or set pre-Broadway runs in Maryland.
The local economy benefits when national productions originate in Maryland because casts and crews spend time in the state for rehearsals, set-building, costume design, and other preparations, which supports hotels, restaurants, and other businesses.\
Local tie
Local and regional theater patron Terry Morgenthaler is a co-producer of ‘Water for Elephants’ and helped bring it to Baltimore.
“The reason I was one of the early investors of ‘Water for Elephants’ is that the story is universal…love and loss. We all know it and experience it. And I was convinced that the musical would have a stunningly beautiful visual and audio life beyond the original written bestseller,” Morgenthaler said in an email.
“When discussions of a national tour began, I mentioned to our brilliant lead producers, Jennifer Costello and Peter Schneider, that Baltimore would be a terrific market for this kind of show. And also, knowing the team at the Hippodrome pretty well, ‘Water for Elephants’ will receive top-of-the-line support and production efforts necessary to mount such a physically demanding production,” she explained. “This is a huge win for our theater-loving city and our Tony-nominated show. I truly could not be more pleased.”
Morgenthaler served for five years as the chair of the board of trustees of Center Stage and another 20 years as a trustee.
Try-out town
Baltimore was well known as a “try-out” town when the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre was the city’s main venue for Broadway shows but the Mechanic Theatre was replaced in 2004 by the renovated Hippodrome Theatre, part of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at 12 N. Eutaw Street. The Mechanic Theatre was torn down starting in 2014, and the site at Charles and Baltimore Streets remains a hole in the ground 10 years later.
Since becoming president of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center 10 years ago, Ron Legler has made it a goal to encourage producers to start their productions in Baltimore at the Hippodrome. He was instrumental in pushing for the tax credit legislation that has enabled Maryland to compete with other states that have similar programs.
Other shows that have originated at the Hippodrome, or announced plans to do so, include ‘The Wiz,’ in the Hippodrome’s 2023-2024 season, and ‘& Juliet” and “Life of Pi,” planned for the Hippdrome’s 2024-2025 season.
“We are delighted to announce the national tour launch of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center,” Legler said in a post on social media.
“Having witnessed this extraordinary production firsthand, I am confident that it will captivate Baltimore audiences,” he said. “We are thrilled that Maryland has been chosen as the exclusive premiere location for this tour.”
Legler also gave credit to state legislators and officials for creating and administering the tax credit program.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the Maryland Department of Commerce for their support through the Theatrical Tax Credit,” he said. “This incentive is instrumental in attracting major productions to our state and providing crucial employment opportunities for our union workers during typically slower seasons. We look forward to welcoming the cast, crew, and creative teams to Charm City as the build and launch this beautiful production next fall.”
Seven Tony nominations
‘Water for Elephants’ had its world premiere at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta from June 7 to July 9, 2023. It officially opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on March 21, after beginning previews on February 24. Starring Grant Gustin and Isabelle McCalla, the Broadway show was nominated for seven 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Based on a novel by Sara Gruen, the musical tells the story of a man who runs away from his life, only to find himself caught up in a traveling circus. It follows a 2011 film adaptation of the novel that starred Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz.
The cast and complete touring itinerary for the national production haven’t been announced yet. Ghostlight Records will release the original Broadway cast recording on August 16.
“Audiences are gasping on the edge of their seats eight times a week at ‘Water for Elephants’ on Broadway, and we now have plans in place to bring this full, gorgeous spectacle to theaters everywhere,” Playbill quoted Schneider as saying. “We are thrilled to now be able to share this dazzling production by Jessica Stone and her creative team with the rest of North America.”
