Lila Coogan News

THE GREAT GATSBY: A NEW MUSICAL is Surprisingly Great

The second to last Minneapolis performance of The Great Gatsby was cancelled mid-performance due to technical difficulties. Learn more about the issue and the show here.

What did our critic think of THE GREAT GATSBY at Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis?

The current touring production of the Broadway musical The Great Gatsby tries to wrap its hand around the elusive and enigmatic novel of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald but can only succeed on the most basic level. It is a daunting task to try and adapt extremely poetic and enigmatic works like The Great Gatsby to any visual medium (in this, I do agree with critic John Simon ---there are really no optic equivalents to this type of writing ---as five flawed film adaptations have proven).

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1925 novel of the same name. The Great Gatsby is set on Long Island, near New York City during the Jazz Age. The story centers on mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his obsession to reunite with his former lover Daisy Buchanan. This was one of two musical adaptations to have premiered within the past couple of years. The other being Gatsby: An American Myth, which debuted in Boston in 2024.

While THE GREAT GATSBY has glimpses of effective songs and character development, the musical doesn’t ultimately live up to the glitz, glamor, and legacy of its source material.

Get an exclusive first look at the North American tour of The Great Gatsby. The Tony Award®-winning global sensation, which brings F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic story and the opulence of the Roaring Twenties to life on stage, has been thrilling audiences coast to coast since the North American tour officially opened this past February. 

If Broadway’s Great Gatsby trades in spectacle, the first national North American Tour proves that its success on the road depends on something more grounded: a cast capable of sustaining the illusion night after night, city after city.  This performance is pretty much flawless top to bottom.   

I had the pleasure of meeting by telephone with Joshua Grosso who plays Nick Carraway in “The Great Gatsby.” Nick is the character through whose eyes the audience sees Gatsby and the other characters from the Fitzgerald book and in this retelling. Josh is one of the most positive and thoughtful people it has ever been my pleasure to spend time with.

Ohio welcomes the premiere of THE GREAT GATSBY at The Stranahan, featuring eight performances that bring the Roaring Twenties to life with stunning production and melodies.

The book is full of mysteries, unspoken judgements, and a vicious sense of classism mixed with ruthless self-preservation, and there is not a lot of this present in this interpretation, brought to life by Kait Kerrigan's book, Jason Howland's music, and Fitzgerald-inspired lyrics by Nathan Tysen.

The North American Tour of THE GREAT GATSBY will play Music Hall Kansas City from March 17–22, 2026, as the sixth engagement in the 25–26 PNC Broadway in Kansas City series.

The idea of a Great Gatsby musical has been circulating for years, many thinking the story’s opulence and deeper themes would be ripe for a musical stage adaptation. When the book finally entered the public domain, The Great Gatsby’s Broadway premiere wasn’t far off.

The North American Tour is underway for THE GREAT GATSBY, a new musical. The tour began performances in Baltimore, MD at The Hippodrome Theatre on January 31, 2026, before playing in various cities across North America. Check out the reviews here!

The Great Gatsby North American tour is now open in Baltimore! Watch a video of their opening night curtain call, featuring a first look at the company in costume. It stars Jake David Smith as Jay Gatsby, Senzel Ahmady as Daisy Buchanan, and more.

When F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby danced its way off the page and into the American consciousness, it became one of the defining portraits of the hedonistic, halcyon Roaring Twenties.

Full casting has been announced for the North American Tour of THE GREAT GATSBY, a new musical. The tour will begin performances in Baltimore, MD at The Hippodrome Theatre on January 31, 2026. Learn more here!

Broadway Sings returned with a tribute to ABBA at The Cutting Room, transforming the band’s classics into fresh new styles while showcasing the vocal power of Broadway stars. The show returns October 25.

Broadway Sings returns this weekend with two star-studded concerts at The Cutting Room: Broadway Sings ABBA on September 26 and Broadway Sings Taylor Swift on September 27.

Broadway talents including Taylor Iman Jones (Six), Meecah (Hamilton), and Kyle Taylor Parker (Kinky Boots) complete the ineup for the next two installments of the Broadway Sings concert series. Learn more!