The Denver Public Library recommends these library resources to enhance your theater experience of Water for Elephants from DCPA, showing this winter in February 2026.
The critically acclaimed bestselling novel comes to “thrilling, dazzling” life (Time Out New York) in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical! Hailed as a Critic’s Pick, The New York Times calls it “stunning, emotional, heart-filled and gorgeously imaginative.”
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.
Tony Award-nominated director Jessica Stone’s “huge, heart-filling”” production (The New York Times) features a book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice adapted from Sara Gruen’s novel, and a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co.
So, step right up to the “spellbinding entertainment” (Variety) at WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, “the best new musical on Broadway” (Theatermania).
What to Read
Our reading recommendation: Duncan Wall was an American Fulbright scholar in France when he decided to enroll in the École Nationale des Arts du Cirque, a school for circus performers. The Ordinary Acrobat is Wall’s account of his time there, interwoven with a history of the circus, from the earliest days to contemporary acts like Cirque du Soleil.
About the book: When Wall visited his first nouveau cirque as a college student in Paris, everything about it was captivating. So great was his enthusiasm that a year later he applied on a whim to the training program at the École Nationale des Arts du Cirque-- and was, to his surprise, accepted. Follow the collision of one American novice and a host of gifted international students in a rigorous regimen of tumbling, trapeze, juggling, and clowning. Along the way, Wall introduces us to the ambition, beauty, and thrills of the circus's long history.
What to Watch
Our watching recommendation: This neo-noir psychological version of Nightmare Alley (based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham) stars Bradley Cooper as Stan, a con-man who joins up with a traveling circus in the 1940s. The movie follows Stan as he learns the tricks that make up the circus acts, and exposes dark secrets from those he comes into contact with, including his own mysterious past. Also starring Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Rooney Mara. Rated R.
About the movie: A corrupt con-man teams up with a female psychiatrist to trick people into giving them money.
What to Listen
Our listening recommendation: The Binewskis are a carny family breeding their own exhibit of human oddities, with the help of drugs and radioactive materials. They create Arturo the flippered boy, Siamese twins Iphy and Elly, Olympia the hunchbacked albino dwarf, and normal-seeming Chick, who has telekinetic powers. The family takes its carnival on the road, where they inspire fanatical devotion. This National Book Award Finalist explores themes of what makes a family, beauty versus ugliness, and how we decide what is normal and what is freakish.
About the book: Aloysious and Lillian Binewski, proprietors of a traveling carnival, attempt to reduce overhead by breeding their own freak show, with tragic results.
What to Download/Stream
Our download recommendation: Combining dramatic re-enactments with commentary by historians, authors, and others, this sweeping historical documentary charts the rise of the American circus from the 19th century onward. Featuring the larger-than-life showmen P.T. Barnum and James Bailey, and the dazzling spectacle of the Ringling Brothers empire, this two-part PBS series captures the grit, ambition, and innovation that fueled a uniquely American form of entertainment. All Denver residents can stream this free on Kanopy with your Denver Public Library card.
About the TV show: The Circus explores the history of this popular and American form of entertainment, from the first one-ring show at the end of the 18th century to 1956, when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey big top was pulled down for the last time.