It\u2019s not many people who can say they are preschool teachers when they\u2019re not on the road with a national Broadway musical tour with actors flying through the air with the greatest of ease. \u00a0<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s how Helen Krushinski describes herself. She has a lead role in the national tour of Water for Elephants about to open in Houston courtesy of Broadway at the Hobby.at the Hobby Center. Making her debut on national tour, Krushinski plays Marlena, the circus equestrian and trapeze artist.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they were able to capture the magic of the novel on stage in dance and acrobatics is what drew me in,\u201d Krushinski said.<\/p>\n
Marlena is married to August the ringleader (played by Connor Sullivan) a jealous man who represented security to her but isn\u2019t always the kindest person to be around if you\u2019re an animal or another human. \u201cShe also has a really beautiful relationship with all the animals in the circus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacob Jankowski (played by Zachary Keller) a drifter who has dropped into their lives for a day\u2019s work, work which gets extended when Helen\u2019s horse Silver Star founders (a life-threatening condition for a horse.)<\/p>\n
The musical is based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Sara Gruen with a book by four-time Tony Award\u00ae nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), a score by PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux), with tour direction by Ryan Emmons, recreating the original direction by Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo).<\/p>\n
Taking this musical on the road is no small endeavor. \u201cI think we have 50 people as part of the whole company,: Krushinski said.<\/p>\n
Jacob hires on as the circus vet but he is unable to save Silver Star. August goes searching for a replacement and comes back with an elephant. Which, as it turns out, he doesn\u2019t treat well either, punishing her with a bullhook.<\/p>\n
The musical is set in the 1930s at the time of the Great Depression. Both Jacob and
Marlena have things they are running away from and that, as well as their love of animals, has them drawing closer as August\u2019s temper ranges increasingly out of control.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like Jacob\u00a0 she also left home and lost everything. August was that safety net. She does love him. She loves what she was able to create with August. He has kept her safe up until what we see on stage. He\u2019s given her this gift of being a part of the circus and being able to perform with these animals and being able to form relationships with these animals. I think it\u2019s hard for her to leave that behind because it\u2019s her whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Krushinski, who grew up in Pittsburgh and got her BFA in musical theater from the University of Michigan \u2013 Ann Arbor, said even though she\u2019s never sat on a bar high up in the air before, once she got the part she didn\u2019t have time to be scared because events from there moved along so rapidly and she had good teachers.<\/p>\n
So how do you create a circus on stage at the Hobby?\u00a0 \u201cFrom the different costumes and the sets and the puppets. The way they are able to create this tent on stage with all these acrobatics is really magical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they\u2019re going to be surprised how much is going on stage at the one time. There\u2019s dancing at the same time as there\u2019s tricks going on. I also think the puppetry is pretty impressive. It\u2019s really cool what people are able to make happen on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Krushinski likes about the Marlena character \u201cis her resilience, her empathy and her strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone on some level, whether it be as severe as Jacob\u2019s level, \u00a0can relate to having to leave a community behind, something behind and feeling like you have no idea where the light is at the end of that tunnel, if there is light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd accepting your fate and that you are in good hands; you\u2019re never alone and someone is going to catch you.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only is there a spectacle but there\u2019s a beautiful love story in there and a sense of community. I think that everyone needs a reminder there\u2019s going to be times in life where you have to leave things behind and you\u2019re not going to know if things are going to work out but people are going to be there for you. You will always have someone in your corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Performances are scheduled for January 27 through February 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information, call 713-315-7625 or visit thehobbycenter.org or broadwayatthehobbycenter.com. $55-$131.<\/p>\n