The Great Gatsby Gets a Glow Up As a Broadway Musical
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 timeless tale looks and sounds new with exquisite costumes, innovative stage design, lively dance numbers and effortless acting.
Leanne Robinson (Jordan Baker) in the First National Touring Company of “The Great Gatsby.” Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
Even if you’ve read The Great Gatsby and you’ve seen several film adaptations of the story — shout out to Robert Redford as Gatsby filming at Warwick’s Aldrich Mansion! — watching it on stage is like turning the pages of a whole new novel.
The Broadway musical version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 timeless tale looks and sounds new with exquisite costumes, innovative stage design, lively dance numbers and effortless acting. Song, dance and drama are incorporated in most scenes to tell the story of a reignited love affair between “new money” tycoon Jay Gatsby and his long lost love (actually five years isn’t that long to wait…) Daisy Buchanan, who comes from a wealthy “old money” family. The fact that Buchanan married someone else and became a mother hasn’t deterred Gatsby from going after the girl, especially since her husband is a lying, cheating scoundrel. Gatsby spares no expense to construct an elaborate mansion in West Egg directly across the bay from her home in East Egg, where he hosts legendary parties. Is this the Gilded Age of Great Gatsby or a modern day Newport love story?
The costumes and song and dance numbers nearly steal the show, as “The Great Gatsby” won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Costume Design. Especially entertaining is one of the opening numbers, “New Money,” when the audience is treated to some of the over-the-top fashions from the time.
The First National Touring Company of “The Great Gatsby.” Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
The audience even participates in the show — as soon as actor Austin Colby appears on stage as Gatsby — a collective gasp can be heard from the crowd, who are clearly fans of his. Colby is an original cast member from the Broadway premiere, though he played the vile Tom Buchanan then. In the PPAC show, he shines as a charming and likeable Gatsby, who would do anything for the girl of his dreams, even if it means sacrificing himself.
The show is worth seeing alone for the vocal talents of Senzel Almady, who plays Daisy, and Leanne Robinson, who plays Jordan Baker (Daisy’s best friend and the love interest of the narrator Nick Carraway (Joshua Grosso). Almady’s vocal range reaches heights that surpass the PPAC ceilings and she captures the character that transitions from caring and compassionate to complacently privileged. Jordan is our example of a modern woman, emphasizing her independence and ability to support herself without the need for marriage.
Senzel Ahmady (Daisy Buchanan) from the North American Touring company of “The Great Gatsby.” Photo by OD Company.
As Gatsby and Daisy put their relationship to the test and decide if they have a future together, they leave devastation in their wake. Does Gatsby get the girl? Who is sacrificed as a result of a love quadrangle that goes horribly wrong? You’ll have to see the show to find out.
