I had my preconceived notions that this “Gatsby” would be a flat out, cheap, uninspiring, commercialized rendezvous given previous testimonies I’ve heard and read, so I decided to swear off seeing it given this was my favorite book, and I didn’t wanna see it presented as this type of garbage. But I went to celebrate my stepsister’s birthday, and now… those preconceived notions have now been confirmed.
It was everything I had expected it to be, and more, and I mean that in the worst way possible. The entire 2.5 hours, I felt I either showed little emotion in what was happening or was completely numb from the fact that there just seemed to be no life whatsoever in this empty, golden-coated shell supposedly representing one America’s greatest pieces of literature. The entire heart, soul, and overall tragicness of the story at hand has been washed away in a sea of sparklers, gold archways, uninspiring dance routines, and fancy cars that actually drive around the stage. Seems all like an act you could find in Vegas no doubt. But if that wasn’t enough to turn me off, the writing surely did.
Kait Kerrigan’s book brings no amount of new substance to the plot or the characters especially. Such iconic literary figures have been reduced to 2D form and are left with nothing but a mere thread from the first page to the last in terms of anything that remotely resembles a character arc, and not even Kerrigan could find a way to add more emotional or psychological depth to the arcs Fitzgerald had beautifully woven decades ago. Yes, you wind feeling the same feelings you should about these characters by the end, especially in terms of the ever-debated topic on whether Daisy is a villain or not, but there’s nothing presented in this adaptation that could bring even more impact to any literary circle conversation.
But then there was the disservice presented in Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen’s composition and lyricism. If you thought their work on “Paradise Square” was a total miss, then this time around will make you rethink that last outing. A huge fraction of this story is about the decadence of 20’s, and you can’t tell that part without some jazz/swing/bandstand music. No, Howland has gone into full contemporary swing in what appears to be an “effort” in making this tale line up in the minds of a 21st century audience. There was a golden opportunity to bring some of that 20’s soundscape to a new generation, and he blew it big time. Same to be said for Tysen’s lyrics. There’s so much internal life to explore in all of these characters, and I just got the impression Tysen only either scratched the surface or started digging and then got bored. Plus the lineup of these songs: ballad upon ballad upon big cast spectacle number upon ballad upon ballad and so on. A little more variety in the types of songs would be nice, you know!
Even with a mediocre replacement cast and an ensemble throwing everything they got at the wall, it’s not enough to avoid the fact that this is not “The Great Gatsby” the world has come to know. Oh, and quick note to the writing team, the little plot elements you added in that were in no way a part of the novel were absolutely not necessary. If anything, they just make the characters, minus Gatsby, a bit more arrogant than they’re already made out to be.
I have nothing to say on staging by Marc Bruni because, well, you heard me say I went numb from no life being presented in front of me; I think that honestly says enough.
How this musical has made it to a year, I’ll never know. But let me tell you right off the bat, stick with the novel. Stick with Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film take on it because that’s the only honest adaptation that exists of this classic. I knew from the moment the first number got into full swing that this musical adaption was gonna be nothing but a low calorie cash cow. So do yourself a favor and just save yourself the trouble.
