It’s not many people who can say they are preschool teachers when they’re not on the road with a national Broadway musical tour with actors flying through the air with the greatest of ease.
But that’s how Helen Krushinski describes herself. She has a lead role in the national tour of Water for Elephants about to open in Houston courtesy of Broadway at the Hobby.at the Hobby Center. Making her debut on national tour, Krushinski plays Marlena, the circus equestrian and trapeze artist.
“The way they were able to capture the magic of the novel on stage in dance and acrobatics is what drew me in,” Krushinski said.
Marlena is married to August the ringleader (played by Connor Sullivan) a jealous man who represented security to her but isn’t always the kindest person to be around if you’re an animal or another human. “She also has a really beautiful relationship with all the animals in the circus.”
Jacob Jankowski (played by Zachary Keller) a drifter who has dropped into their lives for a day’s work, work which gets extended when Helen’s horse Silver Star founders (a life-threatening condition for a horse.)
The musical is based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Sara Gruen with a book by four-time Tony Award® nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), a score by 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).
Taking this musical on the road is no small endeavor. “I think we have 50 people as part of the whole company,: Krushinski said.
Jacob hires on as the circus vet but he is unable to save Silver Star. August goes searching for a replacement and comes back with an elephant. Which, as it turns out, he doesn’t treat well either, punishing her with a bullhook.
The musical is set in the 1930s at the time of the Great Depression. Both Jacob and
Marlena have things they are running away from and that, as well as their love of animals, has them drawing closer as August’s temper ranges increasingly out of control.
“Just like Jacob she also left home and lost everything. August was that safety net. She does love him. She loves what she was able to create with August. He has kept her safe up until what we see on stage. He’s given her this gift of being a part of the circus and being able to perform with these animals and being able to form relationships with these animals. I think it’s hard for her to leave that behind because it’s her whole life.”
Krushinski, who grew up in Pittsburgh and got her BFA in musical theater from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, said even though she’s never sat on a bar high up in the air before, once she got the part she didn’t have time to be scared because events from there moved along so rapidly and she had good teachers.
So how do you create a circus on stage at the Hobby? “From the different costumes and the sets and the puppets. The way they are able to create this tent on stage with all these acrobatics is really magical.”
“I think they’re going to be surprised how much is going on stage at the one time. There’s dancing at the same time as there’s tricks going on. I also think the puppetry is pretty impressive. It’s really cool what people are able to make happen on stage.”
What Krushinski likes about the Marlena character “is her resilience, her empathy and her strength.”
“I think everyone on some level, whether it be as severe as Jacob’s level, can relate to having to leave a community behind, something behind and feeling like you have no idea where the light is at the end of that tunnel, if there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“And accepting your fate and that you are in good hands; you’re never alone and someone is going to catch you.
“Not only is there a spectacle but there’s a beautiful love story in there and a sense of community. I think that everyone needs a reminder there’s going to be times in life where you have to leave things behind and you’re not going to know if things are going to work out but people are going to be there for you. You will always have someone in your corner.”
Performances are scheduled for January 27 through February 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information, call 713-315-7625 or visit thehobbycenter.org or broadwayatthehobbycenter.com. $55-$131.
This article appears in Private: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026.