Grant Gustin, the star of the CW’s long-running The Flash, will make his Broadway debut in the new musical Water For Elephants, producers announced today.
Gustin, who also appeared in the TV series Glee, will portray main character Jacob Jankowski in a cast that also includes Isabelle McCalla (The Prom, Shucked), Gregg Edelman (City of Angels), Paul Alexander Nolan (Slave Play), Stan Brown (Homicide: Life in the Streets), Joe De Paul (Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion), Sara Gettelfinger (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and Wade McCollum (Wicked).
Watch Gustin and McCalla perform the song “Wild” from Water For Elephants in the newly released video above.
The musical, based on the Sara Gruen 2006 novel that was made into a 2011 film that starred Robert Pattinson in the Jacob role, begins previews on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, with an opening night on Thursday, March 21.
Water For Elephants features a book by Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher) and a score by PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux). Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo) directs.
The casting was announced today by producers Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, and Seth A. Goldstein. Additional casting to be announced soon.
‘Water For Elephants,’ Alliance Theatre production
Matthew Murphy
The synopsis: “After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life – and love – beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.”
Gustin’s stage credits include a touring production of West Side Story. He joined the cast of Glee in the musical series’ third season, portraying Sebastian Smythe, the lead of Dalton Academy’s singing group the Warblers. Film credits include Krystal and Affluenza. He’s played The Flash‘s Barry Allen since the series debut in 2014 and continued through its final episode in May of this year. He also made several crossover appearances on Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl.
McCalla is currently starring as Maizy in Shucked on Broadway, and she originated the role of Alyssa Greene in The Prom and played Princess Jasmine in Aladdin both on Broadway and the North American Tour. She originated the role of Marlena in the world premiere of Water for Elephants at the Alliance Theatre this past summer.
