It’s lastly occurred: a century after its publication, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s traditional novel The Nice Gatsby is now a musical. Persevering with to dazzle audiences in a brand-new mild, The Nice Gatsby: A New Musical — e book by Kait Kerrigan, music by Jason Howland, and lyrics by Nathan Tysen — debuted on Broadway in 2024. This grand spectacle of a present, with its distinctive soundtrack combining parts of ’20s jazz, ’90s R&B, and trendy pop, has now made its approach to the Nationwide Theatre. Directed by Marc Bruni and performed by Charlie Alterman, The Nice Gatsby: A New Musical is enjoying for less than a brief stint and shouldn’t be missed.
The traditional story depicts a world of accelerating ethical decay, with widening social divides and a shift towards materialistic wishes, resulting in a lack of innocence and religious depth. This new musical model, nonetheless, is barely extra stripped again, primarily relating to our two lead lovers, Jay Gatsby (Jake David Smith) and Daisy Buchanan (Senzel Ahmady). The musical focuses extra on their total love story, adapting it right into a purer, extra sincere, and extra accessible love.
Within the novel, Jay Gatsby is a deeply unhappy and unfulfilled man. Coming from nothing, he can by no means be glad, even when he features the wealth and the lady he spent a lot of his life eager for. He’s all the time reaching for that inexperienced mild — the factor that’s simply out of attain. Within the e book, that inexperienced mild represents not solely his want for Daisy, but in addition his want to be accepted by a society that may by no means settle for him, in addition to his incapability to reconcile with the alternatives he’s made in life. Gatsby’s musical counterpart depicts this eager for a misplaced love, however he’s much less sorrowful and as an alternative leans extra into the boyish attraction of a lovesick pet canine.
Equally, Daisy Buchanan is initially portrayed as quite flaky, materialistic, and pessimistic, prizing an “ignorance is bliss” form of idealism. Her musical counterpart maintains this rational (if barely pessimistic) understanding of the world as it’s, alongside along with her exuberant power and sleek look, however finally presents as extra sincere, grounded, and even hopeful at occasions — her love for Gatsby isn’t in query on this model.
Regardless of these differentiations, the performers had been completely electrical on this up to date model. Smith, as our titular character, possessed a voice with a superbly managed fluidity, a voice that swam gracefully but powerfully like a magical fish leaping by way of a crystal-clear pond. In “Previous Is Catching As much as Me,” a sadly hopeful love track, Smith held his remaining be aware for an unbelievable size, by no means faltering, inviting a number of audible praises from the viewers.
This spectacular remaining be aware was solely rivaled by what felt like a fair longer be aware produced by Ahmady within the present’s penultimate quantity, “Stunning Little Idiot,” a powerfully poignant quantity that speaks to the infuriatingly relatable struggles of being a lady navigating a person’s world. Ahmady sang with such sincerity and fervour that because the tears started trickling down her face, I discovered myself incapable of not crying alongside along with her.
Along with our two leads, your complete solid of The Nice Gatsby: A New Musical was past stellar. One particular person had me completely head over heels from starting to finish, although. Joshua Grosso as our narrator, Nick Caraway, tackled the function with masterful magnitude. Grosso might sing the telephone e book and convey the home down. Not solely did his voice blow me away, however his performing abilities exceeded expectations. At occasions, the stage would slip away as I bought misplaced in his earnestness, and I’d swear I used to be watching a dramatic movie.
His comedic moments had been additionally simply as profitable. Throughout “The Met,” during which he’s compelled to accompany Tom Buchanan (Will Branner) and Tom’s mistress Myrtle Wilson (Lila Coogan) to the Plaza Lodge for a mid-day romp turned bacchanal, the awkwardly educational Nick will get swallowed up by the depravity of Tom’s not-so-secret secret life. Grosso’s languid drunken actions had your complete viewers laughing as he slinked and slid his physique backwards and forwards over the ornate penthouse couch.
Branner because the privileged, pompous Tom Buchanan and Coogan because the colourful social climber, Myrtle Wilson, had been an entertainingly provocative duo. Their enjoyable, jazzy flirting throughout “Second-Hand Go well with” was vibrant in each sense of the phrase, with the quantity that includes a number of colourful props and set designs, together with racks of pink and purple clothes flying by, leading to a enjoyable quick-change by Coogan, assisted by the unbelievable ensemble solid.
One other spectacular duet got here from Grosso and Leanne Robinson as Nick’s love curiosity, Jordan Baker. Robinson had a silky but sturdy tone to her voice that completely embodied what we’d anticipate from that character. She maintained the sturdy, unbiased, Nineteen Twenties “new lady” aesthetic. Grosso and Robinson collectively had been utter magic. Their duet, “Higher Maintain Tight,” was each playfully seductive and unapologetically sincere.
Then there’s Meyer Wolfsheim (Edward Staudenmayer), Gatsby’s seedy gangster enterprise companion. Staudenmayer’s track, “Shady,” which opened the second act, was an underrated delight, a shock standout of the evening. His wealthy, raspy voice and overt confidence stuffed the stage as he took his place on the heart of this shockingly catchy tune, constructed on darkish, jazzy vibes. The ensemble solid backed Staudenmayer with sultry, sleuthing actions, tipping their gangster fedoras and whipping about their floor-length trench coats.
As large as that quantity was, it was quite small as compared with the big ensemble numbers corresponding to “New Cash” and “La Dee Dah With You” with their grandiose set and projection parts from scenic/projection designer Paul Tate Depoo III, overtly opulent jewel-toned costumes from costume designer Linda Cho, and mesmerizingly complicated choreography from Dominique Kelley.
In line with the period’s luxurious extravagance, a logo of the better financial disparities and more and more materialistic and consumerist dependencies that Fitzgerald wrote about, this present was splendidly ostentatious in the absolute best manner. The sheer variety of backdrop projections and set items was past expectation. The prop parts enhancing the scenic design, additional engulfing us on the earth of the Roaring ’20s, included purposeful items corresponding to a smoking cigar and absolutely constructed old-timey vehicles that “drove” on and off stage. This present has a bubble machine, a fog machine, sparkler cannons, and extra results than can merely be said right here.
As a lot as I marveled on the spectacular nature of this manufacturing, I used to be happy to see that the primary time we lastly meet Jay Gatsby, he doesn’t seem on some large platform with lights and sparkles capturing about. Quite the opposite, instantly following “New Cash,” the scene flips seamlessly, and we’re within the library, adorned in heat, earth tones, not the royal, peacock-jewel tones we simply left. We zero in on Nick out entrance and one other man casually standing within the background. It’s Gatsby. He seems to us not in a grand ballroom, however in a heat nook of information. This juxtaposition was an excellent approach to manipulate the viewers’s feelings.
This capacity to make use of coloration, mild, and sound to shift the temper was current all through the present. Even earlier than the present started, because the viewers waded in, we had been greeted by the view from Gatsby’s dock. The well-known inexperienced mild rested there like a shiny star within the distance, fading out and in, reflecting off the water. Then, creating an virtually 4-D expertise, sound results of peaceable waves and birds washed over me, and I swear I might really feel a breeze. My senses had been completely enveloped, and I used to be hypnotized by that pulsating inexperienced mild. We had been all Gatsby.
Working Time: Roughly two hours and half-hour, together with a 20-minute intermission.
The Nice Gatsby: A New Musical performs by way of Could 24, 2026, at The Nationwide Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC. Buy tickets ($59–$280) on-line or on the Nationwide Theatre field workplace. The nationwide tour solid and artistic credit are on-line right here.
