Don’t Miss the Party “The Great Gatsby” Throws at The Saenger
The Broadway Adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Classic 1925 Jazz Age Tale Dazzles New Orleans
It is lagniappe for New Orleans audiences when an original hit Broadway show, still running strong on Broadway, has the national tour debut at the Saenger Theatre – staging its 800th performance in New York while this production is in New Orleans. Beyond saving patrons a trip to New York City, it is a statement as to the high level of appreciation the city has for arts and culture. Throw in a raucous Jazz Age litany of music (“Roaring On”), singing (“New Money”) and dancing (“La Dee Dah With You”), and the setting could easily be on St. Charles Avenue instead of Long Island, New York.
Fun & Frivolity
While famous for its over-the-top ostentatiousness, Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is a not-so-subtle parable about the empty life of wealth and privilege, shifting loyalties and the fluidity between good and bad can afford. It is unappreciated from an outsider’s perspective until the outsider becomes an insider—all in the name of true love (“My Green Light”).
A struggling writer who sells bonds, Nick Carraway (Joshua Grosso) is surprised to find himself befriended by mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Jake David Smith). Summering on Long Island Sound outside New York City, Carraway is excited to accept Gatsby’s unexpected invitation to rent an outbuilding on the grounds of his summer “cottage”—as extravagant a mansion as any “cottage” lining the Cliff Walk of Newport, RI. However, it quickly becomes clear that Carraway’s good fortune is far from random. Gatsby is obsessed in winning back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan (Senzel Ahmady) – Carraway’s unhappily married cousin – who summers on the opposite shore.
Gatsby and Buchannan’s backstory is slowly peeled away through the show, along with parallel subplots. One involving Daisy’s brutal alpha-male husband, Tom (Will Branner), and a seemingly irrelevant gas station attendant slowly converge in unexpected ways—at least to those who are unfamiliar with the story (“Valley of Ashes”).
More to “The Great Gatsby”
In another, Daisy plays matchmaker to pair her cousin Nick with her best friend Jordan Baker (Leanne Robinson), a confirmed bachelorette (“Better Hold Tight”). Gangster Meyer Wolfsheim (Edward Staudenmayer)—based on real-life mobster Arnold Rothstein – is Gatsby’s “associate” who’s increasingly upset about business being negatively impacted by the couple’s rekindled romance (“Shady”).
While tragic hero and consummate party host Jay Gatsby is the title character, this is really Nick Carraway’s story arc, and Grosso brings the social neophyte’s conflicted loyalties with nuanced delivery and nonverbals. He also brings an unexpected humor to the role, helping alleviate the increasing tension.
As Carraway’s romantic interest and sparring partner, Leanne Robinson’s Jordan is an unexpected surprise. With an impressive vocal range, exceptional comic timing, and compelling stage presence, Robinson elevates any scene she steals. Beyond that, the chemistry between her and Grosso’s Carraway is believable, eliciting whoops of delight when their on-stage romance catches the audience off guard.
Treading the Boards
Other standouts are Staudenmayer’s Wolfsheim brings a menacingly comedic performance until the gangster goes full menacing, with frightening effect.
Likewise, Tally Sessions’ performance as gas station attendant George Wilson seems almost too understated initially, but later becomes clear it’s to gauge the severity of the character’s swing from defeated cuckold to rageful avenger, accented with a powerhouse showstopper (“God Sees Everything”).
Beyond the actors, high praise to Kait Kerrigan’s well-balanced book that infused a much-needed shot of comic relief devoid in any of the film versions. It helped intensify the fun and relaxed revelry in the beginning of the play, as well as accentuate the awkward moments often relatable in new and renewed romances.
The estate of the late F. Scott Fitzgerald agrees, affirming, “It’s thrilling to see these indelible characters and iconic moments from the novel come to life on stage.” High praise indeed, continuing with, “This stage production, which honors the novel and its history while also speaking clearly to today’s audiences, is a terrific new iteration of this classic work.”
More than that, this show’s extravagant homage to the Roaring ’20s proves beyond all doubt that both of the show’s Tony Awards for Linda Cho’s costume design and Drama Desk Award to Paul Tate dePoo III for scenic design were not flukes. From shimmering dresses and sparkling sequins to the opulent Art Deco-style ballrooms and moody projections of sweeping vistas of Long Island Sound in moonlight, this team makes the audience feel every bit of Gatsby’s soulful longing masked by decadent revelry.
The closing curtain effectively brings the show full circle by pulling no punches—and may cut a little too close to the bone for some—in putting a spotlight on the shallow, judgmental, and voyeuristic entertainment value with which society regards personal tragedy as it keeps “Roaring On.”
“The Great Gatsby” runs through Sunday, May 29, at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans.
