*****I think that to my generation, the “Great American Novel” about the “Great American Dream”, was “The Great Gatsby” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 ( a little over 100 years ago).. I am pretty sure that it was required reading back when I was in school. There were also 4 film versions going back to 1926 with a silent movie version, followed by the 1949 version starring Alan Ladd, the 1974 version starring Robert Redford, and the latest one in 2013 featuring Leonardo Di Caprio. With the theme being the “Jazz Age” filled with great music, it made sense to take this dynamic love story to a new level, the musical, and with a book by Kait Kerrigan Music by Jason Howland and Lyrics by Nathan Tysen, it has come to life.
Tonight’s opening at The Cadillac Palace Theatre, as part of the Broadway In Chicago season brought the story to life for Chicago theater audiences. As I have always said, there is nothing like “live theater”. No matter how wonderful a film might be ( and these were all well done) watching a story evolve, right before your eyes is still the greatest treat of all. This production features an ensemble that is terrific, and as directed by Marc Bruini with some great choreography by Dominique Kelley ( if you love tap, you will see some of the best).
The story is filled with romance, materialism, inequities, social injustices and told from the standpoint of Nick Carraway (played to perfection by Joshua Grosso), He goes to New York to make his way in the world. His cousin Jay Gatsby ( a solid performance by Jake David Smith who has a vocal range that is amazing). Jay is the “rich boy” who after many years finds his lost love Daisy ( deftly played by Senzel Ahmady) who is married to Tom Buchanan (Will Branner), Tom is a guy who spends his evenings with prostitutes’ and treats his wife like a trophy that he won rather than a life partner. FYI Jay and Daisy do have a tryst to end the first act.
The production is fast moving and the 2 plus hours ( there was a 20 minute intermission) never seems that long. The times were hectic, and while the characters in the story seem contrived in ways, I think if we look at our lives today, we might see that there are people very similar today. These characters are driven by their needs and desires. Desire to have what others have, to find love, no matter what and longing to be better than they were meant to be.
Let’s talk about the rest of this cast.Leanne Robinson, Lila Coogan, Tally Sessions, Edward Staudenmayer and the ensemble of singers and dancers who truly make this show as amazing as it is: D’Marreon Alexander, William Bishop, Justin Scott Brown, Kyle Caress, Valeria Ceballos, Anna Gassett, Joann Gilliam, Rosie Granito, Josiah Hicks, Nina Michael Howland, Tyler Johnson-Campion, Kurt Kemper, Joi D. McCoy, Charlotte McKinley, Macy McKown, Tim Quarter, Alli Sutton, Dee Tomasetta, Ryan Vogt, and Shai Yammanee.
There are things that I will not mention as I would hate to spoil the ending, but for those of you who know the story, the sets are amazing, considering this is not a sit-down production. This is a road show- they move from town to town, tearing down and rebuilding the set. While the use of projections has helped to simplify the “truck and bus” tours, the creativity of those designing the shows are as important as the talent onstage. This one is perfect . Linda Cho’s costumes are powerful and the quick changes that are made, amazing!
I find myself using one word quite often in this review. That word is “Amazing”, and I use it because this production is just that. They also have cars on stage. If you have a chance, put this on your “to do list”! NOW!
“The Great Gatsby” will continue Thru – May 3rd with performances as follows:
Tuesdays 7:00pmShow Type: Musical
Tickets www.BroadwayInChicago.com
A Broadway In Chicago production at The Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph St. between LaSalle and Wells
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.comgo to Review Round-Up and click at “The Great Gatsby”.
SECOND OPINION Paul Lisnek
Review: The Great Gatsby at the Cadillac Palace Theatre
By:
Paul Lisnek, Curtain Call Chicago
*** ½ / 4
The Great Gatsby delivers a gorgeous to look at and emotionally charged musical full of glamour and intrigue propelled by one very powerful score!
The action set against an amazing set design plays to perfectly controlled performances; the production strikes a compelling balance between spectacle and intimacy. It’s no wonder this story has resonated for over 100 years providing eternal themes of loyalty, greed, and want.
At the center, Jake David Smith brings a charismatic presence to Jay Gatsby, showing both his insecure human side but one that balances his obsession with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. His performance exudes charm with a strong sense of longing, making Gatsby’s pursuit of his past feel less like fantasy and more like a present sense yearning. Smith lets silence do as much work as dialogue, which makes his emotional turns land with real weight. It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes and his voice and vocal range is astounding.
Senzel Ahmady portrays Daisy with a nuanced but strikingly strong interpretation so effective that one finds it difficult to judge her negatively which her conduct would warrant us to do. Rather than seeming selfish, she shows Daisy to be trapped between the requirements of women of her day (the 1920s) and her desire to break away and seek her own happiness. She is both enchanting and elusive—powered by an incredibly strong voice…she presents the exact contradiction the role demands of an actor.
Nick Carraway is endearingly played by Joshua Grosso. The character is often the anchor for the audience (as F. Scott Fitzgerald saw it anyway) and here, Grosso plays him with a sense of restraint and an undercurrent of explosiveness. The performance and this script/book of the musical avoids over-narration which lets the music have its way in the story. Here, Carraway is more a thoughtful observer who gets pulled into the moral chaos that surrounds him.
Also serving as an anchor to the tension of the story is Leanne Robinson (a true gift “on loan” from Britain where she is well known in the West End. She plays Jordan Baker and makes this role her own. She clearly has more than a supporting presence. She plays Jordan with strength, and wit and a strong independence, even if she is guarded beneath the surface. She is a great and important counterpoint to Daisy—less romantic, more pragmatic— but with a welcome edge that adds weight in the production’s required sense of opulence.
The chemistry between the central quartet feels authentic; their interactions provide emotion and depth against the backdrop of magnificent stunning visuals.
This national tour of The Great Gatsby does more than dazzle—it stays with you as you leave the theater with a sort of unsettling sense that its characters were always chasing something that was always going to be just out of their reach.
This is an experience you don’t want to miss! It runs at the Cadillac Palace Theatre thru May 3rd. Tickets can be purchased at: www.BroadwayinChicago.com
Paul M. Lisnek, J.D., Ph.D.
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