Stories
No Bull With Raging Robert
"The Great Gatsby" at the Broadway Theatre is a grandiose musical replete with fantastic sets and glittering costumes. Steadfast to both the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the movie, the songs complement its plot in this two hour and fifteen minute whirlwind of a show.This Broadway version had its book by Kait Kerrigan, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Nathan Tysen
The show kicks into high gear whenever Jay Gatsby (Jeremy Jordan) is on stage. Jordan is both a phenomenal singer and actor; his "Past Is Catching Up to Me" brought the show to a halt, in fact, most of his songs had the audience in awe. His effort is one of the best, if not the best I have seen all season.
Directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Dominique Kelley, "Gatsby" never has a lull in it, the pace is wonderful and Paul Tate Depoo lll sets and projection design are incompatible to anything this season. From the fireworks on the sound to the palatial homes and the automobiles, Depoo brings us back to a by-gone era, an era of wealth,opulence and privilege.The lighting too by Cory Pattak adds to the the shows spender.
Little is known about Jay Gatsby, he went to war, he studied at Oxford, but little else is known about him other than he dated Daisy Buchanan (Eva Noblezada when he was stateside ready to be shipped off to war. Her cousin, Nick Carraway is reluctant to reunite them but has second thoughts after meeting her husband, Tom (John Zdrojeski). Unlike the book, it is intimated that Gatsby is a bootlegger and his extravagant parties, his home and Rolls Royce are ill gotten. The musical also shows the criminal element that both he and a gas station owner, George Wilson are involved with. The plot never really develops this very well, however.
The cast are all effective, but a few stand out... Samantha Pauly as Jordan Baker and John Zdrojeski as Tom Buchanan as well as Jeremy Jordon are staples throughout the show. Continually turning in dynamic acting, all three command the stage. The long awaited "The Great Gatsby" never disappoints and is a must see!
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"Gatsby" was reminiscent of the old time shows that used to grace "The Great White Way" The sets, costumes by Linda Cho and the projections were so deft and imaginative. It almost seemed that each set topped the next and so did the costumes. Even though "The Great Gatsby" had mixed reviews, I could not disagree more. The music was very good, it never over powered the plot, rather it complemented it.
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Next up is "Hells Kitchen" and "The Heart of Rock and Roll". After that with be a few off Broadway shows and some out of state. Both the fall season and the spring season has been a memorable one indeed! It will be very interesting to see who wins the Tony's this season. I guess that the judges will have their hands full.
www.nimbusmagazine.org, www.solarwind.org, No Bull With Raging Robert, www.broadwayworld.com, Tony Awards, Broadway, "Hamilton", "Wicked", "The Lion King", "Harry Potter", "Hells Kitchen", "A Sign of The Times", "Back To The Future", "The Great Gatsby", "The Heart of Rock & Roll", "Doubt", "The Notebook", "Water for Elephants", "Lempicka", "Uncle Vanya", NY Times, NY Post, CNN, Fox, Wall Street Journal, "Days of Wine and Roses, "Tommy", "Outsiders", Dramatists Guild, Mann About Town Magazine, Metropolitan Magazine, "Hamlet", William Shakespeare, off off Broadway, "Brooklyn Laundry" at The City Center, The Park Avenue Armory. My Life Publications, "Spring Awakening", Pirates of Penzance", "Twelfth Night", Webador, Wix, Vocal Media.
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