The recent concert revival of Gatsby A Musical has returned to streaming for a limited time only – until this coming Sunday (14 March 2021).
F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby has been adapted many times over the years and now is the time for director Linnie Reedman, and musical composer Joe Evans to put their stamp on it – bringing to life a semi-staged concert experience, filmed at London’s Cadogan Hall.
I have never read or seen The Great Gatsby in any of its incarnations and so I went into watching this online stream totally blind, with no idea what to expect. But within a matter of minutes, I was enthralled.
When Daisy Buchanan revisits Jay Gatsby’s mansion seven years after leaving that world behind, she is trying to confront her past by reliving the dream she shared with Gatsby. But where is he? This is a story of personal conflicts and lost loves in a tragedy of the vanishing jazz era.
With themes of loss, disappointment and ultimately hope for a better tomorrow, Gatsby, is surprisingly resonant with the ‘roaring twenties’ we find ourselves in once again. A glamorous and engaging way to experience the story unfolding.
Gatsby A Musical has an incredible West End cast including Jodie Steele who steals the show (I wrote that before I realised the awful pun) as Daisy Buchanan. Everything about her performance is thrilling, enticing and delicate.
Ross William Wild is perfect as Gatsby, and West End Wilma Award winner Emma Williams is perfection as Myrtle Wilson, with the best New York accent I have heard (from a non New Yorker) for a long time.
In fact everyone in this show is worth a mention but that would take all day (and in this social media world of endless scrolling, no one wants to read in depth anymore). Liam Doyle as Tom Buchannan, Joe Frost as George Wilson, and Blake Patrick Anderson as Nick Carraway are all great and supported well by Chanice Alexander-Burnett, Lauren Chinery, Robert Grose, Oliver Mawdsley, and Tristan Pegg.
The music is perfect for the 1920’s Jazz/Speak Easy era and the songs are well written and enjoyable, helping to move the piece along at a nice pace. None of the songs made me drift off into my own world which is the sign of a good song and made this production the joy it was to watch.
There are a few sound and camera issues but they don’t detract from the show. On the whole this is a well filmed production which successfully captures the magic of the show and translates well onto screen.
I may have never seen The Great Gatsby before but after seeing Gatsby A Musical online, I really hope to see a fully staged performance live and in person in the not too distant future.
★★★★★
Reviewed by West End Wilma
Photo: WebGig Live
Tickets for the online stream are available here priced at £20.