Spring Preview: Grant Gustin, Isabelle McCalla and Paul Alexander Nolan Step Into the Grit and Glamor of Water for Elephants

Grant Gustin, Isabelle McCalla and Paul Alexander Nolan come to Broadway this spring as Jacob, Marlena and August—the romantically tangled trio in the musical Water for Elephants. Their love triangle—first dreamed up by novelist Sara Gruen and now interpreted for the stage by book writer Rick Elice and the musicians of PigPen Theatre Co.—takes root inside the Benzini Bros. traveling circus during America’s Great Depression. It’s a gritty yet glamorous world where the tricks are electrifying and the animals hold up a mirror to the humans they abide.

Gustin (in his Broadway debut), McCalla and Nolan join the The Broadway Show for a Spring Preview of their new musical at the fittingly stylized New York City cocktail bar, Bo Peep. Together, they pose for a 1930s-inspired photo shoot that captures the spirit of the brooding threesome that will soon be taking over Broadway’s Imperial Theatre. In conversation with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek, the stars also take an opportunity to introduce their characters to audiences who may be taking in this story for the very first time. Read below to get acquainted with the members of this romantic web, including some behind-the-scenes tidbits on how the actors are acclimating to life in the circus.

Grant Gustin—Jacob
When we meet Jacob, he's dealing with the loss of both of his parents in a tragic accident at the height of the Depression, and there's nothing left for him at home. He was studying to be a vet to follow in his father's footsteps and really has no choice but to pick everything up and try somewhere else when he loses his family and ends up on a train that turns out to be the circus train.

But he also feels, when he sees these animals, that if he's not going to look out for their best interests, nobody really is. So he decides to stick around for that reason—and then some other reasons present themselves throughout the story.

Coming to the theater was less overwhelming than I thought it would be. I mean, it was emotional. I almost cried seeing the front of the theater. But it felt like coming home. This is a really special group of people and we have a lot of genuine fun together. I don't feel like an odd man out.

Isabelle McCalla—Marlena
Marlena ran away with the circus when she was 18 years old. She was about to marry some banker that her parents trotted out for her, which just felt like a death sentence. She wandered into the menagerie tent at the circus and saw these beautiful horses and I think got entranced by them and felt this communion with these animals that she never felt before. And then all of a sudden she turns around and there's this gorgeous man in his ringmaster reds, and he charms her and swoops her off her feet and essentially seduces her into a life of on the road.

Her major gift is taming animals. Not only taming them, but understanding them. And she has the same gift with her husband, August. Because of that, I think their relationship was very special and trusting at first until the Depression hits and the purse strings get tight. And then another strapping lad walks into the tent and shakes things up a bit.

I get to hop on a trapeze and I get to do this beautiful lyrical act on it. It is so much fun. Everybody's always asking me, ‘Are you afraid of the heights?’ I'm kind of living my best life up there.

Paul Alexander Nolan—August
We don't discuss it in the show, but you could say August struggles with some mental health disorders. A lot of times playing villains can be fun, and August isn't always that fun because he's a pretty cruel man—especially to animals.

I will say the circus aspect of the team of actors is adding an element that I've never seen in a musical, particularly on Broadway. These people's lives are literally in each other's hands, so there's a real camaraderie that comes to the cast that's even a step up from the normal sense of support. Playing the antagonist and then having a cast of people that'll give you a high five or a hug after you're so monstrous to them is pretty important for me. I want to leave the theater feeling like I'm not dirty anymore.

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The Broadway Show Credits: Directed by Zack R. Smith | Producers: Paul Wontorek and Beth Stevens | Senior Producers: Caitlin Moynihan and Lindsey Sullivan | Videographers: Born in Brooklyn, Shaun Copeland, Anton Ponomarev and Nick Shakra

Photo Credits: Photography by Emilio Madrid | Photo Assistant: Cooper Hammel | Location: Bo Peep NYC

Styling Credits: Styling: Andrew Gelwicks | Hair: Monique Gaffney | Make-up: Angella Valentine | Grant Gustin: Vest: Maison Margiela; Shirt: Orlebar Brown; Pants: Tommy Hilfiger; Shoes: Florsheim | Paul Alexander Nolan: Vest: Gucci; Shirt: Brooks Brothers; Pants: Hugo Boss; Shoes: Florsheim | Isabelle McCalla: Dress: Randi Rahm; Shoes: Nina; Jewelry: Goshwara