After a devastating loss, a young man hops aboard a moving train with no clear destination-only to find an unexpected sense of home among the performers of a traveling circus.<\/p>\n
Hailed as a critic\u2019s pick by The New York Times, the musical \u201cWater for Elephants\u201d-based on Sara Gruen\u2019s bestselling novel-will be at Pittsburgh\u2019s Benedum Center Tuesday and continue through April 5.<\/p>\n
The story, which takes place during The Great Depression, blends romance, spectacle and danger during an era when grit was part of survival and bonds were formed under the Big Top.<\/p>\n
Returning to her hometown<\/p>\n
Helen Krushinski, who plays Marlena in the production, is looking forward to coming home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI only performed at the Benedum once while growing up and can\u2019t wait to return again,\u201d said Krushinski, who graduated from Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia. For local audiences, \u201cWater for Elephants\u201d is a chance to experience a story of resilience, love and belonging.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has so much heart,\u201d Krushinski said.<\/p>\n
Her path to the national tour began early. She began performing at age 4 at the Wexford Dance Academy. When she was 7, she performed in \u201cSeussical\u201d while continuing to take ballet classes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was my first love,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When Krushinski\u2019s mother, with a background in musical theater and opera, opened her own acting studio, Krushinski continued her immersion in the arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful for the foundation that she instilled in me,\u201d Krushinski said.<\/p>\n
By high school, Krushinski had set her sights on a career in theater, earning a spot in the University of Michigan\u2019s competitive musical theater program. After graduation, she moved to New York to pursue professional opportunities.<\/p>\n
Like many performers, she faced challenges during the post-pandemic slowdown. While auditioning, she supported herself by being a part-time nanny and later worked at a preschool-determined to stay the course until the right role came along.<\/p>\n
That opportunity, it turned out, ended up being like nothing she\u2019d ever done before.<\/p>\n
With the greatest of ease<\/p>\n
\u201cIn \u2018Water for Elephants,\u2019 Marlena is the equestrian and trapeze artist married to ringleader August. She keeps things under control,\u201d said Krushinski.<\/p>\n
The role requires not only skill in acting and singing, but also a significant amount of physical skill. During auditions, Krushinski got an early clue when she was asked if she was afraid of heights.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started slowly, just sitting on the trapeze, then worked my way up to being 2 feet off the ground with a mat. By week two, I was at show height,\u201d Krushinski said, adding that although she is confident about her safety, there are safety measures in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actor playing Jacob is pretty strong and is capable of catching me should something go wrong,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s always something to see on stage with a production that relies heavily on physicality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cast is so strong. There\u2019s always something happening,\u201d Krushinski said. \u201cPeople are flying, climbing scaffolding-it\u2019s just magical.\u201d<\/p>\n
A visual spectacle<\/p>\n
Critics have praised the production for its staging. Theater journalist Joe Dziemianowicz noted the production\u2019s \u201cclever stagecraft,\u201d including moments involving a big circus tent. \u201cIt\u2019s raised in no time flat before our eyes and makes for a wonderfully theatrical moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dziemianowicz said he found himself focused on the projected backdrop of the sky that shifts from a warm and inviting blue, to a more forbidding and isolating orange streaked with gray. He described it as \u201clike a giant mood ring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people may be surprised at the spectacle-the music, the circus acts, the puppetry,\u201d said Krushinski. \u201cIt all comes together beautifully at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming full circle<\/p>\n
Krushinski said that returning to Pittsburgh adds another layer of meaning to her work.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that my community helped nourish my love for the arts and that they\u2019ll be there watching-it\u2019s going to feel like nothing I\u2019ve ever felt before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a devastating loss, a young man hops aboard a moving train with no clear destination-only to find…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[22695,69566,73,75,74,69567],"class_list":["post-153103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-benedum-center","tag-helen-krushinski","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-water-for-elephants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}