The Great Gatsby Review

The Great Gatsby is not only considered one of the greatest novels of all time, but it was also the one class novel in high school that I genuinely enjoyed. The sweeping tale of forbidden romance, the glitz and glam of the 1920’s, the scandalous affairs, the secrets, the over the top parties, it sucked me in faster than any novel before, and I devoured it. 

When a musical adaptation of the novel was announced for the 2022 season at Papermill Playhouse, and later, Broadway, I was excited and hopeful. My thoughts immediately went to the music, with the 1920’s Jazz Age setting, the soundtrack had so much potential. I imagined big over the top ensemble dance numbers with quick steps, charlestons, tap dancing, and foxtrots, upbeat songs that would live rent free in my brain forever, and sparkly costumes, one showstopper after another. 

I pictured everything that made Broadway musicals great. The aforementioned catchy songs and dance numbers, mindblowing technical effects, gorgeous costumes, amazing performances, high energy, and grand over the top sets. The Great Gatsby felt like it was tailor made for the Broadway stage. I’m actually quite surprised it took this long for a musical adaption to come to Broadway. And here’s the thing…this show has all that, but just because the show looks good…doesn’t mean it really is good. 

I was bummed to read mostly negative reviews of the show, but I’ve seen shows that were widely panned, and found parts of them enjoyable…looking at you 2022 Music Man revival. So when the chance to see it presented itself, I bought a cheap center orchestra ticket. “It can’t be THAT bad” I told myself as I clutched my ticket while waiting in a neverending line outside The Broadway Theater, and looking at pictures of Sam Pauly that decorated the sides of the building. “Maybe if i just loosen up a bit, I’ll enjoy it more.” I told myself, as I sipped on my half consumed “New Money” cocktail at intermission. 

Unfortunately for me, the bad reviews were right, and I did not love this show. It was glamorous and pretty to look at, and some of the music was catchy (I left the theater singing “New Money”), but the show lacked the soul, depth, grit, and darkness of the novel. And that grit and darkness is what made the novel stand the test of time. It felt like the writers either didn’t read or understand the novel, but they saw the Baz Luhrmann movie (which i enjoyed), or read SparkNotes. They included the most important scenes, but appear to have misunderstood the imagery, and misinterpreted the key themes of the book, scenes were completely removed, characters were completely re worked and stripped of what made them compelling in the novel. Most notable was the choice to eliminate Gatsby’s backstory

This is Gatsby…disneyfied. The closest comparison I can think of is Aladdin, where it deviates so much from the beloved source material and injects lots of comedy and pizzaz, but with Aladdin, it worked, with Gatsby, it didn’t. This show was everything you’d think of when you hear the words “Broadway musical.” And if it wasn’t an adaptation of Gatsby, I would have loved it, but I am so attached to the novel. As a show, its good, it’s watchable, and its fun, but as an adaption, it fails miserably 

Ryan McCartan, from Disney Channel’s “Liv and Maddie” plays Jay Gatsby, i believe he was Hans when I saw “Frozen” on Broadway. McCartan is very handsome and has the most beautiful ear to ear smile, and the most incredible voice, soulful, rich, velvety, and full of power, his belt is otherworldly, I’ve never heard anything quite like it, every time he sang, my jaw would drop, especially during his big number, “The Past is Catching Up To Me.” But sadly, the praise ends there. McCartan lacks the charisma that his predecessor, the amazing Jeremy Jordan had. He tries, he really really does, to lift this awful book and make a meal out of his role, but I just…didn’t like his performance. Maybe this is due in part to the poor writing, there was no mystery to the character of Gatsby, and part of what made him compelling was the mystery, and later his downfall. It was all glazed over, so McCartan’s performance was underwhelming, and he lacked charm. I felt no sympathy for him, if anything, he came off as creepy and obsessive. I also noticed that, unlike most other shows i’ve seen this year, he received no entry applause, in fact no one did. McCartan also plays the role with to much comedy, which i think played more to Jeremy Jordan’s strengths then McCartan’s. However, i do look forward to McCartan playing more roles on Broadway that play to his strengths, and I wish i’d waited a little longer to see this show, because Jeremy Jordan is returning to the role for a month (there are rumors it’s a bid to save the show), and i’d love to see him, but i don’t want to sit through this show again just to see him. 

Samantha Pauly plays Jordan Baker, who, in the book, was my favorite character, but in the musical, she was…dull, she completely lost her sparkle, and it feels like the writers changed her character to much. Gone is the bold and sassy woman, who was strictly anti marriage, some even think she was queer coded, I’m not sure what my opinion on that is. In this show she is shallow, mean, and not as much of a badass. However Pauly’s big number, New Money, was a high point of the show, i was tapping my toes, dancing in my seat, mouthing the lyrics, and in awe as pyrotechnics went off behind Pauly and the ensemble. Pauly’s version of Jordan also goes against her literary counterpart and becomes pro marriage, she even gets engaged to Nick Carraway, and is devastated when he dumps her. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being heartbroken, but it just seemed….so out of character for Jordan. Pauly has such star quality, and it feels like a bit of a waste here, especially after she starred in SIX. When Pauly is in the right role, she is incredible. 

Michael Maliakel was our Nick Caraway. While he was a strong singer, Maliakel’s performance was two dimensional and forgettable, when I walked out of the theater…i forgot he even existed in the story. Yikes! Nick doesn’t have many numbers to sing when compared to other supporting characters, he does get to dance quite a bit though, i’d have liked to have seen more singing from him though, because I liked what I heard. In the novel, Nick is the narrator, in this show, there isn't a singular narrator, because it’s told from multiple points of view, with no intercutting dialogue, but in this case, I agree with the choice to not have a singular narrator. 

Aisha Jackson was our “Absolute Rose”, Daisy Buchanan. She was absolutely gorgeous, and looked almost angelic in her flowy costumes, she almost floated on stage. You could really feel her character’s longing for her past love, because Jackson plays her so innocently, her open mouth gape was very Taylor Swift. But like many performances in this show, it fell flat. Jackson has a beautiful voice, and she is a good follow up to the larger then life Eva Noblenzada. There are scenes i wish they’d expanded, so we could get to know her a little better, she actually felt like she had a smaller role then in the book. Jackson’s chemistry with McCartan is very sweet, but i was expecting it to sizzle based on how crazy they seemed to be for each other, and the time spent away from one another, surely there was a lot of pent up sexual energy, but it didn’t feel it, and the scene where Daisy jumps Gatsby, gets him into bed, and assumingly has sex with him at the end of act one made me cringe a little. 

Austin Coley as Tom Buchanan was my standout performance, he was a smartass, arrogant, charismatic, cold, sly, callous, and menacing, exactly how he was written in the book, very easy to resent. Tom is part of some of the ensemble numbers, but like Nick, doesn’t have much to do musically, and he isn’t in the two big dance numbers either. Nick at least gets a solo number, Tom gets none. I’d like to have seen a disney villain esque number

The costumes in this show were maybe the best part of the show, and were exactly what i had in mind, colorful, sparkly, beautiful long skirts, tight suits, top hats, etc. It all screamed 1920s glamour. My favorite costume however was Jordan Baker’s gorgeous palazzo pants and a sparkly green top, it looked very dancy, and modern, while also still giving us a ritzy 1920s feel. It’s easy to see why they won the Tony for costumes. 

As noted above…some of the music is VERY catchy. Two numbers in particular, “New Money” and “La Dee Dah” were pure Broadway magic, they left my jaw on the floor. The tap dancing, the jazzy beats, and the charleston inspired choreography brought a giant smile to my face. “Absolute Rose”, Daisy’s opening number, felt jazzy, and like a Disney “I Want” song, and Myer Wolfsheim’s “Shady” was a classic Disney Villain song in the vein of “Friends On The Other Side” from “Princess And The Frog”, the comparison is fitting, seeing as “Princess and the Frog” had a 100% jazz soundtrack. Gatsby has two very powerful big numbers that always get a giant applause from the belting, Myrtle Wilson even gets a song before she meets an untimely end. But do we really need a slapstick comedy number before the most serious moment in act one? Or a song about the iconic billboard with glasses, which, by the way, misses the point of the metaphor. 

Overall, not the best show i’ve seen, but still a fun night of glitz and glamour. I think this show will have a long life as a tourist show, and it will be popular with school groups. If you’re looking for a party, this fits the bill, but if you’re looking for depth and a book accurate adaption, this is one party you may want to RSVP no to.