The glitzy “The Great Gatsby” shines at The Kentucky Center
- Arts Angle Reporter
- Feb 25
- 4 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
By Riley Yanez, Arts Angle Reporter
Our Lady of Providence High School, Class of 2026
Let me tell you, old sport, the 1920s were roaring during the first stop of “The Great Gatsby” North American tour at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.
This jazz-pop fusion musical, based on the classic 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, brought to life well-known characters, including Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and, this tragic tale’s narrator, Nick Carraway.
The first national touring company of “The Great Gatsby.” Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. Courtesy of PNC Broadway in Louisville.
The Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall was packed on opening night during the Feb 10-through-15-run of this musical that won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Costume Design.
It follows the same plotline as Fitzgerald’s novel and tells the story of money, corruption, and sin through the lens of 1920s America. At the root is the pain that self-preservation and decaying morals inflict.
Carraway (Joshua Grosso) tells the story from old journal entries and connects the characters. He helps coordinate an affair between Gatsby and Daisy. As Nick, Grosso acts as a voice of reason in a world overtaken by sin, and opens and concludes the show with recognizable monologues.
Daisy (Senzel Ahmady), plagued by her unhappy marriage, begins an affair with Gatsby, her old love who is her neighbor across the bay. Ahmady’s solo “Beautiful Little Fool,” with her warm vocals, was a highlight of her touching performance. She evoked sympathy for Daisy’s struggles as a woman in the ‘20s.
Jake David Smith’s Gatsby rendered an emotional performance in his heartwarming song “For Her,” detailing all his work had been for Daisy. Gatsby’s ultimate downfall is his longing for the past and first-love fixation. He had worked to be wealthy and powerful enough for Daisy to love.
The drama gave the ensemble highlighted roles. Members showcased the corruptive nature of this part of 1920s society which lacked true personal connections and maintained a lasered concern on excess, gossip and intrigue. They also delivered authentic detachment from the real world when they flipped into criticizing funeral attendees from once-worshipful party goers.
Those familiar with Fitzgerald’s novel know everything falls apart in The Plaza Hotel suite. In this musical adaptation, the argument erupts through overlapping vocals that portray the storm of emotions everyone is experiencing. The cadence gives way to a vocal chaos, beautifully performed by the cast, and pushes Daisy to her breaking point.
Cory Pattak’s lighting effects on the Whitney Hall stage included bright, flashy lights that gave the space a cabaret feel and featured color-switching lights. This allowed for seamless scene changes and mood shifts.
On top of the set design and lighting, Linda Cho’s costuming with its glittering fringed dresses and shimmering headpieces transported the audience into the era. The designs contrasted between old and new money characters and allowed characters to shine through their attire. An example is Jordan Baker’s (Leanne Robinson) wide-legged palazzo pants, which showcase her character’s radical womanhood.
Paul Tate dePoo III’s set designs boldly displayed the optometrist’s rundown billboard known for giving the plot the effect of divine oversight. Those large, overbearing eyes strengthened the theme of corruption and sin due to degraded morals.
Dominique Kelley’s stunning choreography added to the captivating set and costumes. High points included the tap number during Gatsby’s party and movements throughout “Shady,” a song performed by racketeer Meyer Wolfsheim detailing the characters’ sins.
Color plays a key role in the novel and in the musical. The green light across the bay that Gatsby uses to connect with Daisy, represents desire, hope and sacrifice. Gold, signifying money and glamor, animates Gatsby’s lavish parties and their guests’ attire. Blue, Gatsby’s color, reflects his sadness and nostalgia.
The set, lighting and costume design reflects the color themes. Early on, Daisy sports white, denoting innocence and purity prior to the affair. Once she reunites with Gatsby, she appears in pink, reflecting their rekindled love and new romance. The yellow ensemble she wears late in the story showcases her fidelity to old money, Tom, over Gatsby and his new money. It also symbolizes her new beginning away from the West Egg community after Gatsby’s tragic end.
The musical, unlike the novel, reflects today with its greater focus on the female characters. Tom Buchanan’s lover, Myrtle Wilson (Lila Coogan), declares her dreams and thoughts moments before her death in the song “One Way Road,” which concedes how money and love are the cause of her problems. After a fling with Nick, Jordan maintains independence and aspirations to build her golfing career. Daisy pursues her security for much of the drama, but ultimately decides that women do not have a true place in society in the ‘20s. The best thing a woman can be, she determines, is a beautiful, little fool.
Daisy’s choice of living as a beautiful fool is a deeper tragedy, especially as 1920s’ women had achieved suffrage and greater opportunities following WWI. They had begun establishing a variety of lifestyles, they were no longer destined to a singular fate.
The dazzling brilliance in design, performance and execution of “The Great Gatsby” come from making good use of the story’s strong themes and the production’s talented cast. It also combined to bring the lively 1920s America to the stage. The spectacle proved “The Great Gatsby” provides important lessons about sinful society and the corruption of the powerful.
In the shadow of all that spectacle, Nick ponders those lessons in his closing monologue: “So we beat on boats against the current borne back ceaselessly into the past.” The line, taken from the novel, resounded within the theater’s walls and in this audience member’s heart.
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