The book, The Great Gatsby, is a classic tale about the “American dream:” the unattainable idea that anyone, no matter their background, can achieve success in a society of upward mobility. Over the years, there have been countless interpretations and adaptations of the story, and on October 22nd, another was released when the preview of the musical Gatsby premiered.
When asked, the author of the show, Martyna Majok, said that revisiting The Great Gatsby during the COVID-19 outbreak was deeply meaningful to her because the story is set after a World War and a pandemic. Working on the musical helped her process her own feelings about the pandemic, as she felt she related to the desperation and need for socialization the characters felt.
“I understood the kind of feral hunger of the parties and everybody trying to pursue meaning to make up for the death and destruction they had witnessed,” Majok said.
Traditionally, the story is told from Nick Carraway’s point of view, character Daisy Buchanan’s cousin. This most recent musical allows a more objective view of the characters, as it is not necessarily told from a biased point of view. The story, instead, makes Carraway a more moral man who discourages Gatsby and his affair with Daisy, while in the book he said little in protest and helps from early on in their relationship.
“The result is a more democratic story freed from Nick’s control, but also one stripped of compelling subtext and Fitzgerald’s enviable prose,” Brittani Samuel, reporter for the New York Times, said in a review of the show.
Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, an indie rock band, is writing the soundtrack for Gatsby. Alongside Welch will be Thomas Bartlett, also known as Doveman. While Welch is credited with writing the lyrics, both artists have been attributed to writing the actual musical score.
“I feel like Welch’s creative style and music typical genre will provide an interesting take on the original book while keeping its integrity and message,” Brendan Fagan, junior, said.
With a director from Hadestown, choreographer from Moulin Rouge, and a timeless tale, this show is set to be one of the greatest of the modern age.
