Although Gatsby’s fictional parties first erupted almost a century ago, their brilliant display of luxury and excess has continued “Roaring On” in the modern day. Not only do these features of the novel manifest in the recent 2013 Gatsby movie or in the resurgence of Gatsby-themed proms, parties and cosmetic/clothing marketing, but the story has circulated back to its fictional whereabouts in New York City. Just last spring, The Great Gatsby rose to life once more in the recent Broadway musical adaptation. Starring standout actors like Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada, this play was certain to make fans entranced by the green light it cast over the theater industry. Although it harbored much interest from die-hard Gatsby fans, musical connoisseurs and English teachers who were curious to see the viability of the novel’s translation to stage, there has been much conflict over its credibility as both an adaptation of Fitzgerald’s story and a musical on its own. Fortunately, I have seen the show three times (once which included a backstage tour and meeting Jeremy Jordan himself) and have read the novel at least nine, so I am here to satiate your curiosity and provide you with a take on what I believe is one of the GREATest musicals to ever surface.

Not only does this musical pay homage to Fitzgerald’s poignant and tragic tale of love and desire, but it also expands upon those ideas and allows for characters to come to life in a more three-dimensional way. The play is filled with songs that express characters’ inner desires more thoroughly than the novel does. The musical adds to characters, such as Jordan Baker, who has a feminist perspective on the institution of marriage and women’s societal rights and roles. Myrtle Wilson, a seemingly drab and unalluring character in the novel, is given a feisty and expressive side which becomes a fascinating study of class mobility and futile attempts to climb the social ladder. Although these ideas alone are enough to credit the play, they are conveyed through beautiful and clever songs and dialogue tantamount to Fitzgerald’s gorgeous prose. The play is riddled with humor that satirizes Tom’s brutality, pokes fun at the anxious, ever-eager Gatsby and playfully critiques Daisy’s unqualified motherhood.

The play’s visuals evoke just as compelling an image as the novel’s rampant use of symbolism. The costumes glitter and gleam as the characters move across stage in a splendor of 1920s pomp, Gatsby’s golden mansion changes appearance and grandeur mid-song and the beyond talented ensemble mesmerizes you with each synchronous and jaw-dropping act. These visual delicacies are enhanced with audible cherries on top, also known as the most perfect singing voices one will ever have the blessing to hear. 

I firmly believe that the spectacle is just as brilliant as Fitzgerald’s novel if one considers three facts. One, the novel was likely never written with the intention of becoming a stage adaptation. Therefore, the entire plot cannot transfer onto the stage in the same way it can on paper. Scenes with little action are difficult to convey on a stage whose vitality exists in bountiful, yet cohesive traffic. Two, many themes of the novel may not have entirely transferred into the play, but that does not denigrate the message that this adaptation conveys. To be honest, I’m not too sure who would be willing to sit through a performance that only explicitly details the decline of America. Audiences get excited by romance, passion and messy, conflicting relationships, so it is these elements of “Gatsby” that deservedly make up much of the musical. Three, the show is allowed to take liberties with their interpretation of the novel. Just as English teachers encourage students to unravel meaning in Fitzgerald’s prose as they compose scholarly essays and projects, Broadway directors are allowed this same freedom to explore what speaks most to them. 

Even if all these stunning details of the play still do not catch your interest, I encourage you to attend it yourself and find the magic that exists at this extravagant party. I encourage you, like Gatsby, to go against what everyone says or thinks about something and follow your own desires and opinions until they lead you to that enchanted object. No matter the format in which “Gatsby” is told, it is a powerful story regardless, so RSVP to the party because the boat which bears the many tales of “Gatsby” is beating on and on and on.