The Great Gatsby Musical

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, another surge of interest in this work takes place from representatives of the theatre industry. Two premieres occurred in the US simultaneously: “The Great Gatsby. A New Musical” in New York, and “Gatsby. A.R.T Musical” at the American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, MA.

“The Great Gatsby. A New Musical” reached Broadway in 2024. Music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Nathan Tysen, choreographed by Dominique Kelley. The production, which received mixed reviews from critics, won only one Tony Award in the “Best Costume Design in a Musical” nomination. We tried to analyze what the creators managed to do and what they could not succeed at.

The author of the book (Kait Kerrigan) treated the literary basis with great respect, having preserved the plot almost in its original form: a poor young man (Jay Gatsby) from his very youth was in love with an aristocrat (Daisy), who married a representative of her class and led an idle lifestyle. Having become a bootlegger and gotten rich, Jay dreams of winning the heart of his beloved from the past. He achieves that goal, and seeks to marry Daisy, but his life gets tragically cut short.

The plot of the novel, written in European aesthetics, is woven of hints, guesses, and semitones; it grows by leaps and bounds, presenting a complete picture only in the finale. Nevertheless, Kait Kerrigan managed to keep the main storylines and, together with the director (Marc Bruni), achieved a sense of gradual sharpening of the image. Of course, some necessary cuts occurred, but they were made very delicately, while the additions did not change the plot and were justified.

For those who have read Fitzgerald’s novel, the show will not be a disappointment. Those who have not read the novel and have not watched the film adaptations, will fully get acquainted with the history of romantic relationships between Jay Gatsby (Jeremy Jordan) and Daisy Buchanan (Eva Noblezada), her husband Tom Buchanan (John Zdrojeski) and Myrtle Wilson (Sara Chase), the wife of the gas station owner, as well as Daisy’s girlfriend, Jordan Baker (Samantha Pauly) and the narrator of the story Nick Carraway (Noah J. Ricketts). All the characters have been thoroughly worked out and generally revealed. The image of the main character, Gatsby, turned out to be quite tragic, as the author of the novel intended. He lacks a little of the carefree attitude and love for life, gloss, and self-admiration that was demonstrated, for example, by Leonardo DiCaprio, the performer in the role of Gatsby in the film “The Great Gatsby” (2013) directed by Baz Luhrmann. At the same time, the performers of the main roles masterfully showcase good vocals and a high level of acting skills.

Together with an amazing ensemble, the main characters dance and sing so ingeniously that the audience experiences a state of mild intoxication. And this is also a great merit provided by the directors, because champagne bubbles are present in Fitzgerald’s novel, granting the apparent lightness and glamor of the life led by rich representatives of the old and new elite, having grown up on “new money”.

The action takes place against the background of stunning scenery (Paul Tate dePoo III) and video installations (Cory Pattak), including 3D projections, creating the feeling of real interiors of rich houses with lovely gardens and beautiful views of Long Island and the picturesque surroundings. Two “real” cars take part in the action: Gatsby’s yellow Rolls Royce and Tom’s blue Buick. The costumes (Linda Cho) are stunning. The style of the 20s is endured with great precision, while everything is stylish and forms a single whole with the scenic design. In all fairness, it’s worth noting that such a beautiful, high-tech, and “expensive” show is not so easy to find on Broadway today.

The score represents an example, albeit simplified, of a contemporary musical with a single musical structure, several leitmotifs, and arias that reveal the inner world of the characters, their thoughts, desires. The title songs “Roaring On” and “New Money”, as well as the final song "Beautiful Little Fool" are beautiful but not too catchy.

“The Great Gatsby” is one of the few works by American writers that captured the era of the “roaring 20s” – the “jazz age”, to quote F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel, like a sponge, is saturated with jazz music and has a jazz structure: the plot revolves around one theme and is replete with repetitions, returns, parallel moves, and predetermined outcomes. It would have been beneficial if a jazz musician worked on the score, who could capture the identity of the composition of literary and jazz sides of the novel.

Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman