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Regional Reviews: Raleigh/Durham The Great Gatsby
A staple of sophomore English reading lists, "Gatsby" has resonated in our culture for a hundred years now, inspiring no fewer than four film adaptations as well as ballets, operas, and even video games. It was first adapted for the Broadway stage as a straight play in 1926, and its first musical adaptation was produced all the way back in 1956. The 2023 adaptation of The Great Gatsby, which opened on Broadway in April 2024 and is still running two years later, is actually the third time the novel has been given the musical theatre treatment. With music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen and a book by Kait Kerrigan, the new Broadway production has begun its first North American tour and is playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through May 10. If sophomore year English class is a bit fuzzy in your memory, that might be for the best. The better acquainted you are with the Fitzgerald novel, the more distressing it may be to find that this musical theatre adaptation has none of the source material's subtlety, impressionism, or thematic richness. Some of the main characters have been radically rewired in their motivations and personas, even if they pass through the same plot points as their namesakes. And to those who would say that a musical adaptation shouldn't be expected to capture the richness of a literary masterpiece, I would refer you to Les Misérables and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, to name just the first two successes that come to mind. But let's set that aside. If we come to this production either with fresh eyes or amnesia, we get the very entertaining story of Nick Carraway (Joshua Grosso), a World War I veteran who stumbles into an upper-class fairy tale by way of his socially ascendant cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Senzel Ahmady). Carraway has rather serendipitously found a cottage rental on the grounds of the estate of Daisy's former beau, Jay Gatsby (Jake David Smith), who has become the epitome of the "new money" crowd so loathed by Daisy's old-money husband, Tom (Will Branner). Add to those players Tom's lower-class mistress, Myrtle Wilson (Lila Coogan), and her forlorn husband, George (Tally Sessions), Daisy's friend Jordan Baker (Leanne Robinson), to be a love interest for Nick, and bootlegger Meyer Wolfsheim (Edward Staudenmayer) for good measure, and we have all the ingredients for a well-plotted, engrossing story of love, betrayal, and tragedy before poor Nick is spit out on the other side in a state much like the narrator of the Eagles' "Hotel California." This is not a musical that aspires to sound like the Jazz Age in which it is set; it operates in a more modern style of musical theatre songwriting. Dominique Kelly's choreography dabbles in vintage dance styles but attempts to blend those with modern movement in a way that doesn't quite achieve a coherent style. Perhaps the finest achievement of the show is the way it uses every element of its production design to keep the intricate plot moving at an astonishing pace. Paul Tate dePoo III's set and projection design puts everything in motion to incredible effect, giving us one miraculous transition after another, so the momentum never flags. Couple that with Cory Pattak's lighting design and Linda Cho's sumptuous costumes, which won her the Tony, and The Great Gatsby is one of the most visually excellent touring productions I've ever seen. The touring cast are uniformly strong actors in fine voice, though many of Howland and Tysen's songs send the leads to what seems like the same climactic belted high note. And at the opening-night performance I attended, there were moments when the orchestra and sometimes the ensemble overpowered the lead. I have experienced this problem with enough productions at DPAC to believe that this house must present some particular challenges with amplified mixes, and I can only hope that the touring sound engineers are noticing, too, and making the necessary adjustments so that audiences later in the run can hear the leads better. But when they could be heard, all of the leads were strong, and I'll single out Edward Staudenmayer's performance of Act II opener, "Shady," as particularly fine. As an evocation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, this The Great Gatsby does not pass muster. I was almost offended when, late in the second act, Fitzgerald's famous passage about "careless people" got a mangled reference seemingly to check a box. But as an evening's entertainment, this Gatsby is absolutely worth your time and will give you some visuals you're sure to remember. The Great Gatsby runs through May 10, 2026, at Durham Performing Arts Center, 123 Vivian St. Durham NC. For tickets and information, please visit www.dpacnc.com or the Ticket Center at DPAC in person, or call 919-680-2787. For information on the tour, visit broadwaygatsby.com/tour. Music and Lyrics: Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen Cast: |
