WATER FOR ELEPHANTS OPENS ON BROADWAY TO RAVE REVIEW
On March 21, the Lampi family fulfilled a lifelong dream of opening a show on Broadway. PJ and Amy Lampi were grateful to join forces with several incredible Houston investors, lead producers, and an amazing creative team to bring Water for Elephants a new musical to life at the Imperial Theatre. The show has received glowing reviews from The NY Times, Variety, Time Out NY, and Theatremania among others.
"As co-producers, we were responsible for helping to fund the show by investing and connecting investors to the project," shared Amy and PJ. "The road to Broadway is an adventure and starts with an artistic vision or concept developed into an initial script and musical score which gets workshopped for investors and industry professionals. Once the show has been refined to a full-scale production, a regional theatre is identified to launch a premiere to gauge audiences and see the show onstage."
Water for Elephants premiered last summer at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta to rave reviews and regional awards. After its regional premiere, the show found its Broadway home while the creative team further refined the new musical and cast its Broadway company. The show then spent 5-6 weeks in the rehearsal process before beginning 4 weeks of preview performances with audiences, where final tweaks were made, prior to officially opening on Broadway.
Water for Elephants is based on the critically acclaimed and New York Times Bestselling novel by Sara Gruen. 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. If you find yourself in NYC, tickets are available at the Imperial Theatre box office, at Telecharge.com, or by phone at 212.239.6200.
The Lampi family has lived in Spring Valley for 15 years. They have 2 daughters Emily (5th) and Lauren (3rd) who attend Valley Oaks. Amy is a native Houstonian having grown up in the area attending Wilchester ES, Memorial MS, and Stratford HS. In addition to co-producing, PJ and Amy are employed full-time in senior leadership roles in analytics for a healthcare system in Chicago and as a consultant for a fundraising firm for nonprofits and higher education institutions across the country. As a family, the Lampis love seeing theatre together in Houston, Chicago, and NYC. Their girls performed onstage for the first time in April at RISE at the Warehouse. The family can also be found on the fields of SBMSA playing and watching cheer, soccer, and softball games.