CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, January 17, 2024

‘The Great Gatsby’ Musical to Open on Broadway in April 2024

The Hollywood Reporter: The musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel will debut at The Broadway Theatre on April 25, the show’s lead producer Chunsoo Shin announced on Tuesday. Directed by Marc Bruni, Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada are set to reprise their Off-Broadway roles as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, with previews beginning March 29.

10 comments:

Karter LaBarre said...

I am honestly so surprised that this is even a musical. I feel like the Great Gatsby was required reading for every single highschooler in the country. It genuinely was such an iconic book that everyone in their mother has read it. In fact, my mom has even read and she likes it a lot. I think something about this book has a little place in my heart, because I once wrote a very good paper on it. I made my 10th grade teacher cry, as I performed this piece that was my final project. It was really fun and I was super proud of my work so anytime I think about the great Gatsby I kind of remember it fondly. Based on the pictures in the article, the set and tech of the show looks really, really incredible, and since it’s coming to Broadway, I know the show itself must be good. I actually take that back because there are definitely some Broadway shows that I don’t enjoy, but that’s all semantics anyway.

Helen Maleeny said...

Having seen another adaptation of a book turned play: The adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” I am interested to see what they will do with this production. Adaptations are definitely extremely difficult, whether adapting a book for film or for theater, and in many ways it is challenging for theater due to both the difference in mediums, having to condense parts of the text to make the book able to be performed in a ‘reasonable’ amount of time, but also the addition of song in this one is challenging, as there isn’t music referenced extensively in “The Great Gatsby” and so I’m intrigued to hear what scenes or crucial moments they turned into song. Especially as this book is such a classic, I assume it’s a delicate matter carefully crafting an adaptation, and so I wonder how they will do it, the last adaptation of the book I’ve seen was Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation, though it was in film and not theater and so I’m sure will be different. The aesthetic of the 20’s and the feel of the Great Gatsby is very intriguing to me when it comes to design, and so I’m interested in learning more about the creative process behind the production as well as see what it looks like onstage.

Luna said...

I think that I have low expectations for this musical. Even though I am a huge fan of Eva Noblezada and Jeremy Jordan, I just don’t think that it would be that good. I am actually so over people turning existing media into musicals. Where are all of the original ideas? I really think that we need new fresh storylines on Broadway. I read The Great Gatsby when I was a sophomore in high school and I was very underwhelmed. I do not understand why it is considered to be an American classic. I don’t really see what’s so great about it. The plot I found to be extremely boring and I felt like nothing really happened. I don’t think there is much potential for this musical. I do wonder though if the music is inspired by music of the 1920s. I think that would be really cool and maybe the only thing that could get me interested in seeing the show.

willavu said...

As someone who really enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby, I am pretty thrilled to hear creatives are bringing it to the stage. The book itself uses symbolism and craft to show the imperfection of the American dream. The way it criticizes the idealist American identity and goals speaks to me, and the times we are currently living in. To make a book into a piece of theater is something that can be done poorly, so I hope it is well done. If I had to say my vision for the play, it would have a dreamlike feel. The book felt dreamy and reminiscent to me, the illuminating green light, as well as the feminine Daisy character, are both signs of hope and idealism. The book also tells a story about the impossibility of traveling back to the past as well as one's aspirations for the future. The set should be something that alters, maybe on a turn table that changes from the grim side of Nick Carraway's life to the extravagant side of the facade of Jay Gatsby life.

Theo K said...

Kait Kerigan is a person whose work I had followed for a long time so when Great Gatsby the Musical got announced I heard about it almost immediately. Almost every high schooler was forced to read The Great Gatsby in english as it is a literary masterpiece so it was only a matter of time before this book got turned into a broadway musical. I did not know how successful Gatsby had become at paper mill and am excited to see it transfer to a bigger stage. Personally I would love to see this production to see how modern technologies have emulated the roaring 20’s aesthetic. I have heard that this show uses a lot of projection mapping and am excited to see that on a larger scale. I do hope to see this show one day as I am interested in seeing how Gatsby sticks to its literary source.

Harshitha Bharghava said...

I tried getting tickets to see The Great Gatsby at Papermill playhouse SO BADLY. I was going to be home when Eva Noblezada and Jeremy Jordan were in the production, and I’ve always wanted to see Jeremy live. I’ve seen Eva live in Hadestown and she was brilliant. The thing is that I personally think that this musical is completely and utterly unnecessary. First of all, I’ve heard terrible things about the Papermill version. Just reviews about how the show wasn’t written well. I am a big fan of creating NEW ideas and creating them for the stage. For example, The Notebook and The Outsiders are currently coming to the broadway stage as adaptations and I honestly am not all that excited. Another example would be Back to the Future which I’ve seen, and honestly, kind of enjoyed. In my opinion BTTF would have been so much better adapted as a JR musical instead of the version that is on Broadway today.

Joanne Jiang said...

I wish I was able to read The Great Gatsby in high school, as most of my classmates did. The other English class read The Great Gatsby, while my teacher had us read 1984(in which he said that we will learn a lot from and be a whole new person after reading it, when in fact, I was not) Anyways, I find these book to musicals really interesting, and I always wonder how the songs are written, as there really is nothing you can base the songs off of. I was luck enough to be a part of an original self produced musical, and I had the upmost respect for our Musical director, who wrote all the songs, and captured the story VERY WELL. I hope that I will get a chance to watch this, but also read the book before watching it, and see the similarities and differences between the two.

Julia He said...

A few years ago, I watched the film "The Great Gatsby," and I was absolutely captivated by its fabulous and extravagant production design and costume design. The story had me so engrossed that I couldn't resist picking up the original book to read through it, only to discover that it evoked a completely different feeling despite sharing the same plot. This phenomenon was quite intriguing. In the world of theater, numerous productions on Broadway and the West End are adapted from successful intellectual properties such as movies or books. For instance, some renowned productions like "Titanic," "Sunset Blvd," and "Hadestown" draw inspiration from ancient Greek stories, while "Sleep No More" takes its cues from Shakespeare's "Macbeth." It's easy to notice commonalities among these adaptations, including epic narratives and intricate character relationships. In this context, I believe "The Great Gatsby" is a fantastic choice for adaptation, especially as a musical. I'm eagerly anticipating how the lyrics and music will enhance and refine the original story, adding new dimensions to this timeless tale.

Aster said...

I’m actually so incredibly excited for the Gatsby Musical. I think the flashyness of the roaring 20s is perfect for broadway. I remember when Gatsby became public domain and I knew that they were immediately going to begin work on the musical. I frankly think the book The Great Gatsby is a bit overrated. I don’t understand why every single high school English class in all of America insists on teaching this book. That being said, it is a fun enough book and I think it’ll make a wonderful musical. I had some friends who saw it when it was at the Papermill Playhouse and they liked it but said it needs a few touch ups. I’m curious to see how the musical compares now to when it was at Papermill. I also am happy that Jeremy Jordan is playing Gatsby. I love his work and I think he has an absolutely amazing voice. He makes a wonderful Gatsby. I’m also really excited for Eva Noblezada. I was fortunate enough to see her in Hadestown and she took my breath away. All that is to say, I’m so excited for the original cast recording.

Reigh Wilson said...

I have been following this production since one of the broadway news instagrams I follow announced the production. I became especially interested when both Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada joined the production as the main leads, since I am very big fans of both of them. I saw Jeremy in Little Shop of Horrors and Eva in Hadestown and they were both phenomenal. I have never read The Great Gatsby nor watched the film– though maybe this will make me read it– so I am not sure the plot but it does seem interesting, and I love a good jazzy period piece musical (Some Like it Hot being one of my favorite musicals since I saw it a while ago). My friend saw it at its pre-broadway tryout and felt like there were plot holes and some moments that fell flat, but I hope that the production has found its feet and works out some kinks before broadway. Hopefully I may see it one day!