Review: THE GREAT GATSBY at Paper Mill Playhouse-The Exceptional World Premiere

“Can’t repeat the past? Of course you can!”  by Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby

Paper Mill Playhouse opens their 85th Anniversary Season with the world-premiere production of The Great Gatsby, based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  This show is phenomenal, destined to become a treasured addition to American musical theatre. 

The Great Gatsby features a book by Kait Kerrigan that is completely faithful to Fitzgerald’s iconic novel.  The marvelous original score is by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen. The show enjoys the finest direction by Marc Bruni and wonderful choreography by Dominique Kelley.  The music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations are by Jason Howland. Daniel Edmonds is the Music Director.  And the show’s cast is perfection!

The Great Gatsby is the quintessential story of love and longing.  Fitzgerald’s  novel was published in 1925 in the heart of the Roaring ‘20s and the Jazz Age. Now, nearly 100 years later, the tale continues to fascinate.  Set in towns surrounding the Long Island Sound, it tells of the mysteriously wealthy millionaire Jay Gatsby who obsessively pursues Daisy Buchanan, the woman he fell in love with years ago in Louisville when he was poor. But times have changed.  Daisy is now married to a wealthy man, Tom Buchanan, and they have a young child. Yet the Buchanan marriage is hardly happy.  Tom is having an extramarital affair with Myrtle, the wife of the local garage owner, George Wilson. To be close to Daisy, Gatsby built a palatial home across the sound from the Buchanans where he hosts huge, lavish parties. He also befriends Daisy’s cousin, Nick who he calls upon to arrange a tea with Daisy. While Nick attempts to make sense of the complicated relationships that surround him, he becomes romantically involved with socialite and golf pro, Jordan.  There are many layers to the story as the distinctive characters lives become intertwined, passions erupt, and futures are forever altered. 

The Great Gatsby features a star-studded cast with Broadway veterans that bring the charm, spirit, glamour, and intrigue of this exceptional musical to life.  The company’s performances are stunning. They include Jeremy Jordan as Jay Gatsby; Eva Noblezada as Daisy Buchanan; Sara Chase as Myrtle Wilson; Stanley W. Mathis as Meyer Wolfsheim; Samantha Pauly as Jordan Baker; Noah J. Ricketts as Nick Carraway; Paul Whitty as George Wilson; and John Zdrojeski as Tom Buchanan. 
 

The troupe also features the talents of Lauryn Adams, Raymond Edward Baynard, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Austin Colby, Colin Cunliffe, Natalie Charle Ellis, Curtis Holland, Brianna Kim, Dariana Mullen, Pascal Pastrana, Mariah Reives, Julio Rey, Dan Rosales, Maya Sistruck, Jake Trammel, Jake Urban, Tanairi Vazquez, and Katie Webber. 

The score is a wow!  It has the ideal variety of music with numbers that are jazzy, heartfelt songs, and ones that are inspired by popular music.  You will remember them long after the curtain call.  Some of our favorites are “Roaring On” by Gatsby, Wolfsheim, Nick and Ensemble; “Louisville” by the Ensemble; “For Her” by Gatsby; “Secondhand Suit” by Myrtle, Tom, and Ensemble; “For Better or Worse” by Daisy; “Only Tea” by Gatsby, Nick, and Ensemble; “Better Hold Tight” by Nick and Jordan; “Bootstraps” by Gilda and Ensemble; “Made to Last” by Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan and Nick; “God Sees Everything” by Wilson; and “Beautiful Little Fool” by Daisy.

The Great Gatsby Production Team couldn’t be better.  The show’s overall design is spectacular.  Audiences are transported from Gatsby’s mansion, to the Buchanans’ home, George Wilson’s garage, an apartment in Harlem, Nick’s  cottage, and the Plaza Hotel.  Scene changes are mesmerizing and seamless. The Team includes scenic and projection design by Paul Tate dePoo III; costume design by Linda Cho; lighting design by Cory Pattak; sound design by Brian Ronan; hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe and Rachael Geier; and fight and intimacy direction by Rocío Mendez. The production stage manager is Brian Bogin. Casting is by C12 Casting. 
 
We applaud Paper Mill Playhouse’s Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, and Executive Director, Michael Stotts for kicking off their 2023/2024 Season with a sure fire hit!  Metro area audiences will love The Great Gatsby on the Millburn stage.

The Great Gatsby is produced by Chunsoo Shin.  It will be performed at Paper Mill Plahouse through November 12, 2023.  The Playhouse is located at 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ. You can now purchase a three, four, or five-show subscription package, available starting at just $111. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits. See www.PaperMill.org  for details. Accessibly priced youth subscriptions are available for children under 18 with the purchase of an adult subscription.  Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, online at www.PaperMill.org  or at the box office.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel