Behind the high-stakes acrobatics of 'Water for Elephants' at the Pantages

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Set us as preferred It’s never too late to run away and join the circus.That’s a major theme of the Tony-nominated musical “Water for Elephants,” and living proof is on stage at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre an hour before the curtain rises on opening night.The show — about a traveling circus — boasts an ensemble with as many acrobats as actors, all of whom must warm up prior to performing.

This nightly routine is a show in and of itself, with acrobats stretching, tumbling and throwing one another in the air.Another ensemble member is juggling nearby as someone spins in a giant hoop at an unnatural speed.The night includes a special treat: The company is breaking in a new piece of equipment known as the Chinese pole, a nearly 20-foot-high cylinder the performers climb up, slide down and generally defy laws of gravity on.

This pole won’t be used just yet — it arrives with a texture that can be slick or uneven, so the troupe must spend a couple weeks prepping it for better gripping and friction.There’s an almost comically blasé way in which the performers — who are used to such spectacles — go about their work an hour before thousands of audience members will gasp and clap at the same tricks.

That’s not to mention the gorgeous puppetry work done by another set of performers as the play reveals a series of detailed circus animals.“It’s really fun to hear the audience react to this show,” says Serafina Walker, an actor and acrobat in the ensemble who also serves as circus captain.“There’s a lot of moments that come as a surprise, you can definitely hear the audience reaction, and that is what fuels us on stage as performers.” Entertainment & Arts As Lumiere in “Beauty & the Beast” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, actor Danny Gardner must sing and dance with live flames on his...