GATSBY: An American Myth, the second original musical based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, is in development to debut May 23 at the A.R.T (American Repertory Theater) in Boston. This announcement has caused a major buzz in the Broadway world, as rumors have been buzzing about the production’s conception since Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine) was attached as the score and lyric writer, alongside Oscar and Grammy-nominee Thomas Bartlett (Doveman).
Other big names in the creative team include director Rachel Chauvkin, famously known for her Tony award-winning work on Hadestown, playwright Martyna Majok (Cost of Living), and choreographer Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge!). Along with the creative team, Gatsby has found its cast of incredible actors, just recently announced.
The show stars Isaac Powell (West Side Story, Once On This Island) as Jay Gatsby, Ben Levi Ross (Dear Evan Hansen) as Nick, and newcomer Charlotte MacInnes as Daisy. Seeing an actor with little to no professional acting credits get cast in such a big production is rare in this era of theater, so it’s very exciting to witness. Other notable names include Solea Pfeiffer (Almost Famous, Hadestown) as Myrtle, and singer-songwriter Eleri Ward as Jordan.
This announcement comes on the tail of the other musical, The Great Gatsby, currently in previews and set to open at the Broadway Theatre on April 25. The production stars Broadway royalty Jeremy Jordan (Newsies) and Eva Noblezada (Hadestown, Miss Saigon) in the leading roles, and has been on the lips of theater fans everywhere since its announcement.
So far, pre-opening reviews from both critics and fans are mostly mixed, with many praising the immense talent of the cast, the swanky art direction, and the choreography, but others mention the loss of “compelling subtext and Fitzgerald’s enviable prose,” as stated in The New York Times writer Brittani Samuel’s review. The book remains very faithful to the original plot, but it seems the ingenuity that makes it so iconic has been lost in stage translation.
It remains to be seen which production will reign supreme in this year of The Great Gatsby. Try your luck at getting tickets for GATSBY: An American Myth here!