Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants Set for Broadway Musical Adaptation
(courtesy of the film)
Water for Elephants, the bestselling novel by Sara Gruen, which was adapted for film in 2011, is now set to be transformed into a Broadway musical. Broadway producers Peter Schneider and Elisabetta di Mambro, in association with Broadway Across America and Mehr! Entertainment, announced today that they have acquired worldwide rights.
The novel, which has been published in 43 countries, is set in the Depression era. It follows Jacob Jankowski, whose life is dramatically changed when he is tossed by fate onto a train that is the home of the "Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth." Just shy of his veterinary degree, Jacob is hired to doctor the circus' animal menagerie.
"I am beyond thrilled to be involved in a creative process that is entirely new to me, especially with such wonderfully talented people at the helm to reimagine my work for the stage," said Sara Gruen in a statement. "When I wrote the book, I hoped people would think about the way we treat those who are dependent on us — animals, the elderly, the debilitated, as well as the power of love in all its forms, and it's going to be amazing to see this message delivered in such an exciting medium."
