During the time in which F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby takes place, the US economy was in a massive post-World War I boom. Though there was money to be had, wealth was heavily concentrated at the top, creating a stark divide between the ultra-rich and the impoverished working classes.
A stark divide of a different sort can be found between this 1925 novel – which sets its focus on the self-made millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and his tragic obsession with former lover, Daisy Buchanan – and the musical of the same name, which opened on Broadway in 2024. That show is now on tour and coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center the first week of Nov.
Major media outlets, including the New York Times, Variety, and the Chicago Tribune, generally agreed that the musical sacrificed much of the novel’s substance – particularly the author’s deep literary themes – in favor of stage-worthy spectacle.
Fitzgerald’s writing style in the novel is defined by lyrical, highly poetic prose, vivid figurative language, and a melancholic tone that captures the temperament of the Jazz Age. There’s not much of this in Kait Kerrigan’s script. And to accommodate the transition from page to stage, there have been plot alterations that include the show’s complete omission of Gatsby’s intriguing backstory.
Missing, too, is the novel’s dark critique of class division, wealth corruption, and the failure of the American dream for the masses. In the musical’s defense, this was also missing from the blockbuster 2013 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan.
The musical’s score (music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen) has also faced criticism for trading traditional 1920s jazz for a more contemporary Broadway sound that sometimes lacks urgency or memorable melodies.
So why has The Great Gatsby musical been playing on Broadway to solid capacity crowds, with total attendance to date exceeding 1.3 million? And why might you want to take in its national tour, which launched this past January?
Well, lots of people favor flashy spectacle over somber substance in their theatergoing. What else could explain the popularity of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and The Greatest Showman. Reviews of the national tour of The Great Gatsby emphasize that it retains much of the grand scale, immense opulence, and heavy visual spectacle found in the Broadway production.
Massive, jaw-dropping sets designed by Paul Tate DePoo III seamlessly blend physical architecture with digital projections to recreate Long Island mansions and New York hotspots. The show also pulls out all the stops with its theatrical use of pyrotechnics. And Linda Cho’s Tony Award-winning costuming – the show’s only Tony – brings the glitz and high fashion of the Roaring Twenties to life with shimmering fringe, sparkly flapper dresses, and sharp tuxedos.
All of which are taken out for a spin in Dominique Kelley’s high-energy choreography (his credentials include the staging of the NFL’s Pro Bowl Game’s halftime show for 16 years), best found in the opening production number where Nick Carraway (Joshua Grosso), the show’s narrator, arrives in Jay Gatsby’s (Jake David Smith) home, steps into his Bacchanalian Saturday night celebration, and meets Gatsby’s girl Daisy (Senzel Ahmady). There’s also the show-stopping, fast-paced production number “New Money,” which highlights the glittering wealth, ambitious energy, and frantic pursuit of status in Gatsby’s inner circle.
This is one of those productions that asks little more of its patrons than to pay up, sit back, and be wowed.
The Great Gatsby runs from Nov. 3 – 8 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St, PVD. Contact ppacri.org or 401-421-2787 for tickets, $61 – $125, includes fees.
Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who also writes for The Boston Globe. Connect with him on Facebook.
The ensemble of the North American tour of “The Great Gatsby,” which runs from Nov. 3 – 8 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy