As the audience sits down, a projection shows the landscape overlooking the lighthouse with an iconic green light. “The Great Gatsby” showed up and showed out, displaying a glamorous nightlife in the 1920s— and an insanely talented cast brought the house down on opening night with a showstopping performance.
Texas Performing Arts presents the national tour of “The Great Gatsby” on Broadway at Bass Concert Hall. With performances from March 10-15, the show runs around two hours and 30 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. Concessions can be found throughout the hall, and tickets range from $48 to $210.
Told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, the show remained true to many aspects of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. Joshua Grosso (Nick Carraway) and the company opened the show with a bang with “Roaring On,” highlighting the foreboding themes of glamour and wealth. The 1920s flapper outfits were the cherry on top to this eye-catching opening number.
The audience meets Daisy Buchanan (Senzal Ahmady) with “Absolute Rose.” Playing on Daisy’s floral-inspired name and her shy, yet charming character, the song touches on her unhealthy relationship with Tom Buchanan (Will Branner).
Ahmady’s soft voice gave emotion to the song, however, her breathy tone was a point of focus. While the breathiness to many of Ahmady’s renditions felt intentional to playing out real-life emotions, the words got lost throughout the audience.
Right before they introduce Jay Gatsby (Jake David Smith), Jordan Baker (Leanne Robinson) distinguishes the difference between old money and new money. Robinson’s powerhouse voice with “New Money” was intense and chilling, causing an eruption of applause from the audience.
Similar to the novel, the visuals of the never-ending theme of green light stayed persistent with this musical. Green lighting, green clothing and green prop pieces were a detail that didn’t go unnoticed as it played on how the green light, reflecting intense dreams, was vital to Gatsby.
Gatsby was the bachelor who kept going. His rich voice made every ballad an emotional display of yearning, keeping in touch with his determination shown in the novel. Smith gave Gatsby a very evident Transatlantic accent, despite none of the other cast members having one — though odd, it was very fitting for his character.
The most awe-inspiring scene and song combination was “La Dee Dah With You” in act two. A heavy dance number with imminent tension between the main characters, the scene was bright, filled with fanciful costumes and lights. Carraway and Baker’s comedic timing provided relief from the drama of Gatsby’s life. The ending tap sequence tied the scene together, from the impressive dancing to one of the final plot points of the novel.
The final scenes of Gatsby’s death, with the blaring gunshots and a ballad showcasing Daisy’s shallow nature, made for a powerful ending to this crowd-arousing musical. When the cast came to the stage for final bows, the audience erupted into a standing ovation that held until the house lights came on.
