Review: GATSBY A MUSICAL, Cadogan Hall

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is both a famous and much-loved story of parties, passion, love and lies, all set in the roaring 20’s. It’s the tale of Jay Gatsby, a great socialite, famous for his parties and the time he spent trying to reunite with his former lover Daisy Buchanan, despite her being married to another man. Set in the years that followed the war and a pandemic as people tried to make the most of life, you can fast forward 100 years and the 20’s are back. Here we are, living in a pandemic, dreaming of a time when we can attend parties and make the most of life again. As we remain unable to attend theatres, we have become rather used to experiencing the joys of performance through a screen; it’s a taste of what we are all missing and keeps us hanging on. 

Gatsby: A Musical, filmed at London’s Cadogan Hall, presents a twist on the classic tale of the party-loving, glamorous, sparkling world of Jay Gatsby. Set seven years after the events of the novel, this musical production centres around Daisy Buchanan (Jodie Steele). The character, who disappears abruptly from Fitzgerald’s novel, left the life of opulent parties, fast cars and speakeasys behind but now she returns to the once great mansion in New York in search of Jay Gatsby (Ross William Wild). Just like the novel, we see the action narrated by Nick Carraway (Blake Patrick Anderson) as we follow Daisy searching for Gatsby and suddenly being confronted by memories that she had locked away, through flashbacks to the days of great parties and her troubled marriage with Tom (Liam Doyle) as he becomes involved with Myrtle Wilson (Emma Williams). 

Jodie Steele leads the piece as Daisy Buchanan and she does so with grace. In her great times with Gatsby, Daisy is a bubbly confident girl who knows what she wants and makes it clear that she knows exactly what her husband Tom is up to. Seven years later, she wants to maintain that confident air, whilst worrying over Gatsby and coming face to face with her memories.  Her powerful solo ‘For Me’ pulls at the heartstrings and Steele’s vocals lift to the rafters. As Gatsby himself, Ross William Wild brings the show-off socialite to life both in his glory days and the days when he realises that the party is ending. In ‘The Moon That Never Rose’, we see him alone and left to relive the memories that have so haunted him - truly is a standout moment. 

As Nick Carraway, Blake Patrick Anderson shines. We see his view of the glamourous world of Gatsby with a sense of innocence that suggests he doesn’t quite realise the darker side of the story at first. He takes it all in, allows himself to be drawn into a wealthy life full of lies and secrecy in a twisted race to the top. He is everybody’s friend, everybody’s man to trust, and witness to the unfolding events that both Gatsby and Daisy tried so hard to forget. As Anderson slips in and out of the ensemble, he draws attention with his captivating performance and wide-eyed charm.  Tom Buchanan may not be the easiest character to love with his affair with Myrtle causing Daisy great heartache, but Liam Doyle gives the character some heart, showing that he does still have feelings for Daisy and there’s real passion in his duet with Gatsby, ‘Who Are You Anyway?’

Chanice Alexander-Burnett, Lauren Chinery and Oliver Mawdsley assist in moving the action along as Catherine, Jordan Baker and Owl Eyes respectively, with Robert Grose adding an edge of authority as speakeasy owner Theodore Woolfe. Emma Williams impresses as Myrtle Wilson, the woman who dreams of glamour away from her life with garage owner George (Joe Frost). Her act one solo,‘You Can’t Live Forever’ and act two duet with Daisy, ‘Broken Wings, Broken Dreams’, are both beautiful and powerful, depicting women who wish for much more than they have, no matter the paths that those wishes may lead them down. 

With performers spaced to maintain social distancing, each with their own props and such, we can’t pretend that everything is normal as Nick so desires as he states “we wanted to forget; the war, the pandemic”, but nevertheless there is still that thrill of seeing top class performers on a stage again, giving their all to a show. The costumes by Belle Mundi ooze 1920’s glamour and Dominic Warwick’s lighting brings the world of Gatsby to life with different colours for each setting. With the auditorium of the beautiful Cadogan Hall empty, the soaring vocals of the talented cast echo around the space. Whilst this may add a sense of power to the piece, at times the sound levels are slightly off. The music occasionally overpowers the vocals and the volume levels appear a little unbalanced in places. 

Gatsby: A Musical is full of glamour and the thrill of the roaring 20’s. The music by Joe Evans is beautiful and memorable, with a mixture of powerful ballads and jazz dance numbers that are screaming out to be performed in a fully staged production and the cast bring the story to life with a passion and joy that can be felt through the screen.  

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Rebecca Wallis

You can purchase tickets for the remaining two performances of Gatsby: A Musical here.

Please note this review is also featured on the Musical Theatre Lives In Me blog page.