The Great Gatsby Musical : A Review

Happy 100th Birthday to the only book I read in high school that I actually enjoyed, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which was originally published April 10, 1925.

That being said, last week I got to see the new musical based on the book while I was in New York City, and figured, its time for a combination book and musical review to honor a decade of Gatsby being either the love or bane of every high schooler's existence.

Now, if you are someone who has never read The Great Gatsby, here is a quick synopsis, brought to you by my recent re-reading of the book, the musical and the help of the internet to make it sound better.

The Great Gatsby is set on Long Island during the Jazz Age and is told from the point of view of Nick Carraway about his interactions with the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Gatsby owns a large mansion in the 'West Egg' and hosts parties each weekend that have many guests, who claim to have never actually met him. When Nick rents a shack near/on Gatsby's property while he tries to find his way in New York City, he gets pulled into a world he wasn't prepared for. Nick soon learns that Jay Gatsby has a secret love, obsession, with Daisy Buchannan, Nick's married cousin who lives across the bay. Gatsby hasn't seen her since before the Great War, and is determined to grab her attention and win her over, even though she has moved on with someone else. As Nick remains in West Egg, he makes acquaintance with a cast of characters including Jordan Baker, a semi-pro golfer and friend of Daisy's and Myrtle and George Wilson, who works at a gas station and is unknowing of his wife's affair with Tom Buchannan.

Some historical things to note, the story takes place in the 1920s, where America is celebrating the end of World War 1 and prohibition is in full effect. This is a world that Fitzgerald knew and many parts of the story are based on his experiences within this lavish world. Nick Carraway is also an interesting narrator for the story, as he speaks both with and without judgement while taking in this sort of 'crazy' world. There are a lot of concepts within the book that show Fitzgerald's own opinions on the world around him and how money, gender and family are viewed. There are definitely some things that make you shake your head in 2025, but overall there are some messages we can learn into today.

One of the biggest things within the story is showing the disillusionment of the American Dream, as Gatsby works from nothing to become someone, but ends up dying alone, with none of these people who used him showing up for him after his death. It also shows how love can come in many forms, both positive and negative. Honestly, the book is not very long and I highly recommend giving it another read.

Now, the musical. The Great Gatsby musical officially came to Broadway in 2024, and is currently on its 'sophomore' main cast (who absolutely killed it). The music written for the show was powerful, used at important parts of the plot and moving the story along (as musicals do). Gatsby, who was played by Ryan McCartan in the show I saw, was full of emotion and longing, the singing was amazing and the way he carried on himself on stage made you really feel it, even from rows and rows back. Sarah Hyland played Daisy, who is struggling with knowing her husband is cheating, taking care of their new baby, and just trying to be 'beautiful, little fool' that would be OK with all of this. Sarah did a fantastic job at portraying emotion in her singing and her costumes were amazing.

Jordan Baker also really brings the show together, showing Nick around and having a bit more of a presence in the story, also more moments that give into Nick and Jordan having a moment than I think was present when reading the book. Meyer Wolfsheim also appeared a lot more throughout the story, even having his own song, which I feel like he is more in the background in the book. He is definitely pull strings, saying he helped Gatsby get to where he is now, but there is more of a sense of him pulling strings throughout the story.

There were small nods to a lot of 'other' things throughout the show. Small lines that felt more 'modern' in their meaning, and having some backgrounds of character's changed. Nick Carraway states that he is from St. Paul, Minnesota (ay), which is actually the birthplace of Fitzgerald which is a cool call to the author while also showing the connection between Carraway and Fitzgerald as a whole. One of my other favorite changes was Myrtle having a moment, before her death, where she realizes leaving George for Tom doesn't actually put her in a better place, since Tom will continue to do the same things he always does. This song and moment against pushes the theory of the different kinds of love, and how love can be used against you by people who want to manipulate you.

The music, the sets and the costumes throughout the show were great, with a lot of impressive dances and sparkly numbers that almost felt other-worldly at times. The party scenes were fantastical in a way that is hard to explain, but like good Broadway viewers I don't take my phone out (or even have it on) during the show.

Two of my favorite songs were 'Only Tea' which took place during the scene where Daisy and Gatsby are meant to meet again after all these years, during a tea at Nick's place, and 'My Green Light' which is the song Gatsby and Daisy sing together when she realizes he can see her pier from his house.

Overall, the show stuck pretty close to the book, avoiding some of the more questionable things Tom says at times but keeping the vibes the same. Everyone in the show was so talented and the experience is one I won't forgot. I'm glad I was able to see the show in New York and be able to talk about it on the birthday of the source material.

Have you read The Great Gatsby recently?

Do you remember liking it in high school? Chat with me below!