The Great Gatsby Musical: Broadway Show Guide & Review

There’s something irresistible about seeing a classic novel turned into a full Broadway spectacle, and the 2024 musical version of The Great Gatsby dares to ask what Nick Carraway was really thinking and whether his feelings for Gatsby went deeper than friendship. We break down what works, what doesn’t, and where the debate gets interesting.

Previews Began: March 29, 2024 ·
Opening Night: April 25, 2024 ·
Running Time: 2 hours 30 min ·
Songs on Cast Recording: 23

Seven production specs, one pattern: the numbers tell a story of a big-budget adaptation that commits fully to its source material.

What is Great Gatsby the musical about?

Synopsis of the musical

• Set in 1922 on Long Island, the story centers on mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his obsessive pursuit of former lover Daisy Buchanan (TodayTix).
• The narrative unfolds through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a neighbor who becomes entangled in Gatsby’s world of lavish parties, hidden secrets, and doomed romance.
• Unlike many adaptations, this musical version retains Fitzgerald’s framing device: Nick is writing the story from a sanitarium, adding a layer of retrospective anxiety (New York Theater).

Key characters

• Jay Gatsby (Jeremy Jordan): The enigmatic millionaire whose whole life is built around winning back Daisy.
• Daisy Buchanan (Eva Noblezada): The beautiful, conflicted object of Gatsby’s desire.
• Nick Carraway (Noah J. Ricketts): The narrator and moral compass who grows increasingly entangled.
• Supporting cast: Samantha Pauly as Jordan Baker, Sara Chase as Myrtle Wilson, John Zdrojeski as Tom Buchanan (Playbill).

How it compares to the novel

• The musical follows the novel’s plot structure closely but condenses events into a tighter 2.5-hour arc (New York Theater).
• Where the novel leans on imagery and prose, the musical substitutes with show-stopping choreography by Dominique Kelley and a jazz-infused score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen (New York Theater).
• The key difference: the musical makes Nick’s mental state more explicit, hinting at trauma that the novel leaves submerged in subtext.

Is The Great Gatsby on Broadway worth seeing?

Critical reviews

• Opening night roundups from Playbill show a split: multiple mixed and negative notices alongside a few enthusiastic ones.
• Entertainment Weekly called it a “great, big Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy” (Entertainment Weekly).
• Other reviewers criticized the shallow character development and over-reliance on spectacle.

Audience reception

• Social media and audience surveys suggest a warmer reception than critics gave (BroadwayWorld Forum).
• Many ticket-holders praise the visual grandeur, particularly the set design by Paul Tate dePoo III and costumes by Linda Cho.
• The show’s Broadway.com audience rating sits higher than its critical aggregate.

Pros and cons of attending

The pattern: critical reception splits between those seeking spectacle and those seeking substance.

Is The Great Gatsby LGBTQ?

LGBTQ representation in the source novel

• Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel has been analyzed for queer subtext for decades, particularly in the relationship between Nick and Gatsby (Broadway.com).
• Nick’s admiration for Gatsby’s beauty and his acute sensitivity to masculine charm are noted by literary critics as hints of suppressed desire.

How the musical handles queer subtext

• The musical does not explicitly depict Nick as gay or bisexual. Instead, it leaves room for interpretation through lingering looks and lyrical choices (New York Theater).
• Some audience members and reviewers have read the Nick-Gatsby dynamic as romantic, while others see it as close friendship (BroadwayWorld Forum).
• The production reportedly toned down the queer references from its original Paper Mill Playhouse incarnation, leading to disappointment among those hoping for more explicit representation (BroadwayWorld Forum).

Nick Carraway’s sexuality

• No character in the musical self-identifies as LGBTQ in dialogue or song lyrics. The show maintains a deliberate ambiguity.
• This ambiguity mirrors the novel’s own restraint: Fitzgerald never labels Nick, though the subtext is rich enough to support multiple readings.

The implication: ambiguity preserves the novel’s interpretive space but leaves modern audiences wanting more explicit representation.

What was Nick Carraway diagnosed with?

Nick’s mental state in the novel

• In The Great Gatsby, Nick alludes to “the sanitary” (a sanitarium) he visited after the story’s events, suggesting he suffered from depression or post-traumatic stress (Broadway.com).
• Literary critics have long read Nick as a man haunted by what he witnessed — a narrator whose reliability is colored by trauma.

Interpretations of his character

• Some scholars argue Nick’s “nervousness” points to untreated anxiety or depression, exacerbated by the violent climax of the story.
• The musical channels this interpretation: Nick opens the show in a psychiatric setting, giving the whole narrative a confessional, almost therapeutic quality (New York Theater).

References to sanitariums

• The musical’s book by Kait Kerrigan includes explicit references to Nick’s “rest cure” — a period of bed rest and isolation prescribed for nervous exhaustion in the 1920s.
• This choice grounds the story in medical history, making Nick’s recovery a quiet thread through the spectacle.

The catch: the musical foregrounds trauma but keeps it in the periphery, never fully exploring its implications.

Were Daisy and Gatsby lovers?

Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship in the novel

• Yes — Daisy and Gatsby were lovers five years before the novel’s events, and their reunion rekindles the affair (Broadway.com).
• The novel makes clear that Daisy loved Gatsby but ultimately chooses social stability with Tom.

How the musical depicts their romance

• The musical gives Daisy and Gatsby multiple duets, including “The Green Light” and “Without You,” which underscore the intensity of their connection.
• Eva Noblezada and Jeremy Jordan bring palpable chemistry, making their scenes the emotional core of the show.

The tragic ending

• The musical does not shy away from the tragic conclusion: Gatsby is murdered, Daisy retreats, and Nick is left to tell the story.
• Unlike some adaptations that soften the ending, this one keeps the final scenes raw and uncompromising (New York Theater).

What this means: the tragic ending reinforces the novel’s critique of class and the impossibility of escape.

What critics and audiences are saying

“A great, big Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy.”

— Entertainment Weekly

“The Great Gatsby is a 2023 stage musical with music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, and a book by Kait Kerrigan.”

— Wikipedia

“Fresh from its sell-out success on Broadway.”

— LondonGatsby.com

The three voices tell a consistent story: critical enthusiasm exists, but the sharpest praise comes from the production’s own promotional materials. The gap between critics and marketing reveals an adaptation that knows its strengths (spectacle, cast) and leans into them.

The pattern: the show understands its audience and plays to its strengths, but literary purists remain unconvinced.

Frequently Asked Questions

For anyone considering a trip to the Broadway Theatre, the choice is clear: the show offers a dazzling spectacle that will satisfy if you’re looking for a lively night out, but it may leave literary aficionados hungry for the novel’s quiet depth. For tourists and date-night planners, the upshot is compelling — catch the spectacle before it moves to London, and keep an eye on summer events like Hyde Park Concerts 2025: BST Lineup, Dates & Tickets to plan the rest of your season.