Broadway in Chicago’s “The Great Gatsby”/Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
RECOMMENDED
Being what many consider the great American novel, it is no surprise that there have been numerous attempts to turn F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” into the great American musical. The Metropolitan Opera even commissioned an operatic version by John Harbison, which came to Lyric Opera in 2000.
Since the work went into the public domain in 2021, there have been two high-profile musical versions: “The Great Gatsby: A New Musical,” with a score by Jason Howland and lyrics by Nathan Tyson—both of “Paradise Square,” which had its pre-Broadway premiere in Chicago in late 2021—and “Gatsby: An American Myth,” with a score by Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine and Thomas Bartlett and lyrics by Welch.
“The Great Gatsby: A New Musical” made it to Broadway in 2024 and began a North American tour in January. It opened Wednesday night for a short Chicago run at Broadway in Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre.
The sets, costumes and effects are quite impressive, to be sure. There are even moving cars on stage. The choreography by Dominique Kelley is a treat, with the dancing party guests coming from the world of the Harlem Renaissance.
Broadway in Chicago’s “The Great Gatsby,” with Leanne Robinson/Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
The songs are by and large well-crafted power ballads that have the characters sing their hearts out while expressing their innermost feelings. There is lots of bombast and spectacle, but the heart of the show feels contrived.
Like many of us, I first read “The Great Gatsby” in school. It may say more about me than it does the book, but I loved its decadence. These were people seemingly without a care in the world.
Yes, some bad things happen to some of them. But the book doesn’t moralize. The musical—or at least this version of the musical—takes a stab at having characters we all know have elaborate feelings, dreams and desires that are expressed outwardly as if they were guests on a Jerry Springer-like sing-off.
Do I want to have Gatsby and Daisy, both mysterious if superficial people in the book, suddenly expressing themselves in such an over-the-top manner? Speaking for myself, I found it cringeworthy. Did it help me feel what they were allegedly feeling? Not in the least.
Broadway in Chicago’s “The Great Gatsby,” with Jake David Smith/Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
One of the assets of the book is its ambiguity. A lot happens, but little is explained. In “The Great Gatsby: A New Musical,” so much is emotionally explained that we’re numbed by the time something actually happens, even if we’re entertained along the way.
Through May 2, Broadway in Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 West Randolph. Tickets available at broadwayinchicago.com
