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Water for Elephants Brings Its Dazzling Circus Musical to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre February 2 to 7, With Tickets On Sale November 13

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Water for Elephants musical production photo

Atlanta theatre fans get their chance tomorrow to step into the world of the traveling circus, as tickets for Water for Elephants go on sale for its Fox Theatre run February 2 to 7, 2027 — a New York Times Critic’s Pick that began its life right here in Atlanta before becoming a Broadway hit.

Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta is pleased to announce that tickets for the North American tour of the critically acclaimed bestselling novel WATER FOR ELEPHANTS will go on sale Friday, November 13 at 10 a.m. The musical, hailed as a Critic’s Pick by The New York Times, will play Fox Theatre February 2-7, 2027.

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.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is based on the critically acclaimed and New York Times Bestselling novel by Sara Gruen. The Broadway musical has a book by four-time Tony Award® nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), a soaring score by the acclaimed 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).

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS features circus design by Tony Award nominee Shana Carroll (The 7 Fingers), choreography by Tony Award nominees Jesse Robb (Miss Saigon) and Shana Carroll, scenic design by Drama Desk Award winner Takeshi Kata (Clyde’s), costume design by David I. Reynoso (Sleep No More), lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Bradley King (Hadestown), sound design by Tony Award nominee Walter Trarbach (Spongebob Squarepants), projections by two-time Tony Award nominee David Bengali (Good Night, and Good Luck), hair & makeup design by Luc Verschueren/Campbell Young Associates (A Beautiful Noise), puppet design by Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman, Camille Labarre (Into the Woods), puppet direction by Joshua Holden, music supervision and arrangements by Drama Desk Award winner Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Some Like It Hot) and Benedict Braxton-Smith (Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls), orchestrations by Tony Award winner Daryl Waters (New York, New York), Benedict Braxton-Smith and August Eriksmoen, fight direction by Cha Ramos (Jagged Little Pill), associate circus designer by Antoine Boissereau, associate choreography by Paige Parkhill, and casting by The TRC Company, Claire Burke, CSA & Frankie Ramirez, CSA.

The WATER FOR ELEPHANTS tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Riley Gibson and is supported by Stage Manager Élianne Desilets-Dubé and Circus Stage Manager Stan Barile. The company management team is led by company manager Greg Bawdon with associate company manager Jose Amengual. The tour music director/conductor is Sarah Pool. Max Quinlan serves as the Executive Producer for the production.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS won Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Jessica Stone), Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical (Walter Trarbach), Outstanding Fight Choreography (Cha Ramos) and Outstanding Puppetry (Ray Wetmore, JR Goodman, & Camille Labarre), the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (Jessica Stone), and the Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Choreography (Jesse Robb & Shana Carroll).

GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS released the WATER FOR ELEPHANTS: Original Broadway Cast Recording, which preserves the show’s soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co., which is available on CD and all streaming and digital formats. The CD’s full-color booklet features production photography, complete lyrics, synopsis, and liner notes by book writer Rick Elice. The album is produced by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Ian Kagey.

Broadway Licensing Global has secured worldwide licensing right to the critically acclaimed Broadway musical WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. The flagship musical publisher for the world’s fastest growing theatrical licensing company, Broadway Licensing Global, includes Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS had its world premiere in Atlanta on The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre, running from June 7, 2023, through July 9, 2023. The critically acclaimed production had The Atlanta Journal-Constitution raving, “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a triumph! Truly dazzles.” WATER FOR ELEPHANTS premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre, running from March 20, 2024, through December 8, 2024. The production was a New York Times Critic’s Pick, with chief NYT theater critic Jesse Green describing the show as “Huge”, “Heart-filling”, and “Emotionally vivid.”

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS will play a limited one-week engagement at the Fox Theatre as part of the Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta 45th anniversary season from Feb. 2 –7.

Tuesday – Friday 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for Water for Elephants will go on sale Friday, Nov. 13 and prices start at $49 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available at the Fox Theatre box office at 660 Peachtree Street NE, by visiting foxtheatre.org/water or by calling 855-285-8499. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by contacting sales@foxtheatre.org.

For more information please visit: www.waterforelephantsthemusical.com

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Nigerian Modernism Claims Its Place on Tate Modern’s Walls

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2026

We Speak Media

Ben Enwonwu (1917–1994), the central figure of Nigerian modernism, pictured in 1957. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Modern art history is usually told from Paris and New York. Tate Modern spent seven months telling it from Lagos, Ibadan and Zaria. Nigerian Modernism, on view from October 8, 2025 to May 10, 2026, was the first exhibition in the United Kingdom to trace the development of modern art in Nigeria, bringing together more than 250 works by over fifty artists across fifty years.

The story begins in the 1940s, amid calls for decolonisation across Africa and its diaspora. Aina Onabolu, a pioneer of academic easel painting in West Africa, and Akinola Lasekan steered Nigerian art toward a fusion of European technique and Nigerian subject matter. At the centre of the exhibition stands Ben Enwonwu (1917–1994), the Slade-trained painter and sculptor who drew on his father’s Igbo carving tradition, produced a celebrated sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II in 1957, and became the first African modern artist to win international fame. His dancing figures and his bronze Anyanwu anchor the show.

Around him, the exhibition maps movements as much as individuals. Potter Ladi Kwali (c.1925–1984) married indigenous Nigerian forms with high-fired European glazes at the Abuja Pottery to global acclaim. The Zaria Art Society, whose members included Uche Okeke, Demas Nwoko and Bruce Onobrakpeya, called for a synthesis of Nigerian traditions and modern methods, while the Mbari Artists and Writers Club in Ibadan nurtured a generation that includes El Anatsui, whose work closes the show’s fifty-year sweep.

Curated by Osei Bonsu with Bilal Akkouche, the exhibition spans painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and works on paper, and it landed as a landmark: Apollo Magazine shortlisted it for Exhibition of the Year. For the artists’ descendants and for Nigeria’s thriving art scene today, it was long-overdue recognition that a bold new language for art was built in Nigeria, by Nigerians, generations ago.