NEW YORK — The new Broadway musical “Water for Elephants” looks patched together. In a good way.
After all, the Benzini Brothers’ Depression-era traveling circus, where the show is set, is no tiptop big top. The animals are malnourished, and some might be a little mangy. The performers form a tightknit skilled ensemble, but a few carry a lot of miles and seem a little weary. Both the tent and the traveling quarters are on the ragtag side. It’s only fitting, then, that the puppets representing the menagerie appear stitched from well-worn pieces, the company is made of disparate but complementary moving parts, and simple scaffolds bring to life an environment far from Ringling razzmatazz.
