Review- Blooming in the Jazz Age: The Great Gatsby Musical

Logo Provided By "The Great Gatsby" Team

Feature Written By: Ray Wisda

The Stranahan Theater’s production of Broadway’s "The Great Gatsby: A New Musical" arrives with all the shimmer, perfume, and excess of a hothouse flower – lush, fragrant, and just a little overwhelming.

Adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, the production leans into spectacle while trying to preserve the story’s fragile emotional core. In doing so, it also introduces "The Great Gatsby" to a new generation of audiences who may know the title more from TikTok aesthetics than from literature class.

This adaptation, with music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Nathan Tysen, takes a more romantic and emotionally explicit approach than the novel. Nick Carraway remains the narrator, but he’s more active and expressive, guiding the audience through Gatsby’s world with a clarity Fitzgerald intentionally avoided.

The musical trades subtlety for accessibility, making the story easier to follow for viewers encountering Gatsby for the first time.

One of the production’s strengths is that it relies on a full live orchestra, not pre-recorded tracks or pop-song repurposing. The orchestra’s presence gives the score warmth and depth, especially in the jazz-infused ensemble pieces and the sweeping romantic ballads. The live instrumentation helps the show feel rooted in the 1920s rather than borrowing from modern playlists.

Jake David Smith’s Jay Gatsby is magnetic, a man who glitters as brightly as the parties he throws. His voice soars in “My Green Light,” where he sings “There’s a future I can almost see,” capturing both ambition and delusion in a single breath.

Senzel Ahmady’s Daisy Buchanan is equally compelling. Her rendition of “Beautiful Little Fool” brings a rare vulnerability to the character, especially when she sings, “I hope she’ll be a beautiful little fool,” with a mix of resignation and self-awareness that deepens Daisy beyond her usual portrayal.

Nick Carraway, played by Joshua Grosso, provides warmth and grounding, while Leanne Coogan’s Jordan Baker adds sharp humor and a cool, modern edge.

The costume design stands out – beaded gowns that shimmer like dew, tailored suits sharp enough to cut, and party ensembles that bloom across the stage in gold, silver, and jewel tones. The visual world feels alive, like a garden bursting into color under stage lights.

The set design uses sweeping staircases, art-deco lines, and projected skylines to create a sense of grandeur. Gatsby’s mansion glows like a dream – beautiful, excessive, and slightly unreal, just as Fitzgerald intended.

The choreography blends classic Broadway movement with 1920s social dance, giving ensemble numbers a buoyant, champagne-bubble energy. The opening number, “Roaring On,” sets the tone with the lyric “We’re roaring on into the night,” promising a world where the party never stops.

The score mixes jazz, pop-Broadway, and sweeping ballads. Not every song is equally memorable, but the emotional peaks land – especially in Gatsby’s solo “For Her,” where Gatsby repeats throughout the musical, “I built it all for her,” with heartbreaking conviction.

The musical follows the novel’s major beats: Gatsby’s mysterious rise, his reunion with Daisy, Tom Buchanan’s unraveling, Myrtle’s tragedy, and the inevitable collapse of Gatsby’s dream. The storytelling is more linear and emotionally direct than the book, which may divide purists, but it helps audiences unfamiliar with Fitzgerald’s story absorb the story and character nuances.

"The Great Gatsby: A New Musical" is a visually stunning, emotionally earnest adaptation that captures the glittering surface of the Jazz Age while reaching for the novel’s deeper melancholy. It dazzles first and reflects second, much like Gatsby himself.

And perhaps most importantly, it keeps Fitzgerald’s legacy alive for a new generation – one that may find its way back to the novel through the music, the spectacle, or the glow of that ever-present green light.

For students looking for a glamorous night of music, dance, and literary nostalgia, it’s a show worth seeing – one that blooms brightly, even if some petals fall along the way.

The touring production will be at the Stranahan Theater from April 7-12, 2026, offering eight performances during this time.