Hello everyone, I’m so excited to talk about this! The Great Gatsby was turned into a musical and now is on Broadway. I wanted to take this opportunity and review everything about the musical.

   Before I get into it, I want to say this: I’m a huge musical fan. However, I haven’t watched many movie musicals, like High School Musical, Mamma Mia, or Les Misérables. I know that the musical Wicked is getting turned into a movie, so I can’t wait to talk about it later this year. The musicals that I watch are usually at my cousin’s theater program, and I think they are really outstanding. 

With that being said, let’s dive into the Great Gatsby Musical.

Casting

The casting for this musical was great. I loved how the director used big Broadway stars in the musical. Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Little Shop of Horrors, and Age of Madness) did an excellent job of his portrayal of Gatsby. The only thing that I can complain about is that his character, Gatsby, dies at the end.. I would have liked to see a more positive rewrite in the ending, but it matched the book’s ending.  I liked Jeremy Jordan’s tone of the character and the addition of his comic relief in “Only Tea”.

Eva Noblezada (Hadestown) did an excellent job of her portrayal of Daisy. Eva Noblezada’s voice definitely fit Daisy as when I listened to her, she made Daisy have this siren-like voice, which allured both Nick and Gatsby.  

   I also think they picked the right actor to portray Nick Carraway. I felt that Noah G. Ricketts was invested in his role as Nick Carraway (“Fellow Travelers”). Personally, I like the Broadway Nick instead of the movie Nick (Tobey Maguire). Ricketts’s portrayal of Nick was more involved in the story, and his energetic personality was definitely what I had in mind for Nick Carraway while reading. 

My praise here does not cover every member of the cast of the musical but needless to say, I think everyone did a tremendous job. The amount of effort that everyone put into the musical was evident, and it is worth watching if you enjoyed the book and want to see a live adaptation of Great Gatsby. My rating is a 12/10 with regards to the star-studded cast

Costumes

   The costumes in the musical were very well done. When watching each performer, it feels like you are stepping back in the 1920s, where the Great Gatsby took place. I liked how most of the costumes stayed true to what the book describes them as. For the costumes, I would rate the musical a 10/10 for how cohesive it is with the 1920s aesthetic.

Soundtrack

   The soundtrack for The Great Gatsby was exemplary. It was honestly incredibly hard to decide which song is my favorite. I enjoyed Jeremy Jordan’s rendition of “Past is Catching to Me” along with Eva Noblezada and Jeremy Jordan’s rendition of “My Green Light”. “Roaring On” and Eva Noblezada’s rendition of “Beautiful Little Fool” was also solid. I would play that song  for any party occasion. I know people liked “New Money” but for some reason, I didn’t like it as much as others did. There was a mix of bangers and songs I did not enjoy, so I would give the soundtrack a 9/10 rating.

Production

As for the set of The Great Gatsby, I liked it and I thought if you were to actually experience the world of Gatsby, it would look similar. I also enjoyed how the set designers portray Gatsby’s house and how the Green Light is portrayed. The Green Light is symbolic to the book as it represents Gatsby’s ultimate desire for Daisy to be with him again.  From the car to the house to the bridge, it feels like you are really going to New York along with the cast. 

Book Accuracy 

Many find that movies or musicals aren’t exactly like the book they are based on. Well, the Great Gatsby Musical fits perfectly with Fitzgerald’s book. All the tiny little details from the book are in the musical, from the Eyes of T.J Eckleberg looking over the stage, to the Valley of Ashes, and finally Gatsby’s death at the end of the book, and how it impacts the characters at the end. 

Choreography

   Although I haven’t seen the show in person, I could tell from the promotion that there is a lot of choreography involved, and the cast does it spot-on. I can tell the hard work and dedication that each cast member has for the dance, and the tap dancing in the musical does not go unnoticed. It warms my heart that each cast member praises Dominique Kelley (“La La Land”) , who is the choreographer of the show, because without Kelley, the Great Gatsby wouldn’t have become as popular as it is now. 

Well, that’s a wrap on the Great Gatsby Musical. “When they say the party’s roaring on, they mean it.” As soon as the musical starts, it is spellbinding. With such a great cast, soundtrack, and more, the Great Gatsby gets a 10/10 in my book. 

I can’t wait for more musicals like The Great Gatsby, and all the exciting articles that will come along with that, so stay tuned!