REVIEW: Water for Elephants Opening Weekend

The theatre program’s production of Water for Elephants (W4E) exceeded my expectations. I came into the show skeptical of the original source material, the inexperienced cast, and the technicality behind creating and depicting the circus environment on a public high school’s budget. But with a great set and dedicated actors, the show was better than I expected.

Tech theatre did a masterful job with the circus through props and installed aerial silks and a lyra hoop. Emily Neill (Marlena), shined on the lyra hoop. The use of the train cars in the set was especially impressive. The costumes in the show brought me into the story. Rosie the elephant puppet was a particular stand out with life-like features and its large scale.

The new actors definitely surprised me; one standout was Camden Brown, who plays Camel in the show. His voice and character work were incredible. The ensemble was energetic in group numbers, especially in “The Lion Has Got No Teeth.” I did, however, find it unfortunate that some of the cast members were only featured once or twice in the show.

The theatre program definitely managed to pull together this production in a great way, setting the precedent for future high school productions.