Australian producer Rodney Rigby lands fourth Tony Award nomination with Broadway musical Water for Elephants

Three-time Tony nominee, Olivier Award and Helpmann Award recipient producer Rodney Rigby has received his fourth Tony Award nomination with the musical Water For Elephants, which is now playing on Broadway.

Water For Elephants received a total of SEVEN Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Rick Elice), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Takeshi Kata), Best Costume Design of a Musical (David Israel Reynoso), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Bradley King and David Bengali), Best Direction of a Musical (Jessica Stone), and Best Choreography (Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll). The 77th Tony Awards will be held on 16 June at the Lincoln Centre’s David H. Koch Theatre in New York City.

Rodney Rigby:

If you are heading to New York, do yourself a favour and get a ticket, and join the ride to a thrilling and remarkable new musical that is about life and love beyond your wildest dreams. There is nothing else like it on Broadway!.

Rodney Rigby is currently producing the Australian tour of Gaslight, with recent credits including: Come Frome Away, Good Night, Oscar starring Tony Award winner Sean Hayes on Broadway and Jersey Boys.

Hailed as a ‘Critics Pick’, The New York Times called Water For Elephants “stunning, emotional and gorgeously imaginative.”

The critically acclaimed bestselling novel comes to “thrilling, dazzling life” (Time Out New York) in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical with “one of the more remarkable ensembles ever seen on Broadway!” (New York Daily News).

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 (Jersey Boys), adapted from Sara Gruen’s novel, and a soaring score from the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co.

Spellbinding entertainment” (Variety)
The best new musical on Broadway” (Theatermania)
Many wonders await audiences at the Imperial Theater” (The New York Times).

Additional Award Nominations (Water For Elephants):

Drama Desk Awards

• Nominated for SEVEN Drama Desk Awards, including:
• Outstanding Direction of a Musical – Jessica Stone
• Outstanding Choreography – Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll
• Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical – David Israel Reynoso
• Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical – Bradley King
• Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical – Walter Trarbach
• Outstanding Puppetry – Ray Wetmore, JR Goodman, and Camille Labarre
• Outstanding Fight Choreography – Steve Rankin

Outer Critics Circle Awards

• Nominated for FIVE Outer Critics Circle Awards, including:
• Outstanding New Broadway Musical
• Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) – Jessica Stone
• Outstanding Choreography (Broadway or Off-Broadway) – Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll
• Outstanding Video/Projections – David Bengali
• Outstanding Lighting Design – Bradley King

Chita Rivera Awards

• Nominated for THREE Chita Rivera Awards, including:
• Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show
• Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show – Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll
• Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show – Antoine Boissereau

Drama League Awards

• Nominated for Outstanding Production of a Musical