THE GREAT GATSBY Opening Night Critics’ Reviews- Page 8

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 10:07am

Cast updates:

• Jeremy Jordan will play his final performance on March 7.
• Ryan McCartan will temporarily replace from March 8 - 29, before Reeve Carney takes over as Jay Gatsby on March 30.
• Aisha Jackson will depart on February 1, and Eva Noblezada will return on February 5. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 10:34am

AC126748 said: "I didn't see this posted here, but Ryan McCarten went back into the Broadway production for several performances as Gatsby over the holiday weekend."

Yeah. He posted around Jeremy’s return that they kept him on as a special guest star to cover when Jeremy had his band engagements.

Reeve being cast as Gatsby is…a choice.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Reeve-Carney-and-Eva-Noblezada-Will-Star-in-THE-GREAT-GATSBY-20260114

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 10:41am

I sure hope that hes carves out a niche for himself soon because being Eva's hanger-on is kind of embarassing for him. Nobody is hanging onto their marriage for this to be a reason to see a show.

[tacotheatrelover]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 10:46am

Can we please get florence's Gatsby? In all honesty this has probably run long enough and I'm surprised it's run this long.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 12:57pm

Not how business works, taco. That Gatsby has tons of work to do on it and it will get those rewrites in London. 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 1:02pm

These could just be wild rumors, but I saw social media rumblings about Darren Criss as Gatsby in the London Welch production with Rachel Zegler as Daisy.

[tacotheatrelover]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 2:17pm

Sutton Ross said: "Not how business works, taco. That Gatsby has tons of work to do on it and it will get those rewrites in London."

I know that's not how business works, but somehow I wish it was. I just finished the first draft of a musical after a year and a half and wish it could be finished now, alas it too has tons of work to do. The work seems much more exciting than what we currently have, and my generation is more impatient than any, and I see how that's an issue to a lot of people. Patience is key, and I hope in the coming months and years we'll get an excellent product years better than the show that watched the luhrmann film and wrote a show based on the bullet points, saying as I saw the show on Broadway back in October.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 3:00pm

KevinKlawitter said: "These could just be wild rumors, but I saw social media rumblings about Darren Criss as Gatsby in the London Welch production with Rachel Zegler as Daisy."

That does sound wild as hell. Also, Darren has Nick energy, not Gatsby.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 3:06pm

Wha terrible casting. Reeve Carney is going to absolutely murder those songs with his insipid voice.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 11:18am

Eva Noblezada's return as Daisy postponed to March 4 due to vocal injury, replacement tba

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 11:22am

Dolly80 said: "Wha terrible casting. Reeve Carney is going to absolutely murder those songs with his insipid voice."

You cannot murder possibly the worst set of songs ever written for a dramatic Broadway musical. 

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 11:58am

Scarywarhol said: "Dolly80 said: "Wha terrible casting. Reeve Carney is going to absolutely murder those songs with his insipid voice."

You cannot murder possibly the worst set of songs ever written for a dramatic Broadway musical."

This is the correct take. There will be no discernible difference.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 12:21pm

Scarywarhol said: "Dolly80 said: "Wha terrible casting. Reeve Carney is going to absolutely murder those songs with his insipid voice."

You cannot murder possibly the worst set of songs ever written for a dramatic Broadway musical."

FAX

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 12:45pm

I wonder whether he is going to ruin what is left of his voice -- he never was much of a singer.  Gatsby is just one top-of-your-lungs power balled after another.  I cannot imagine that he will be able to stay on key most of the time, and wonder how much he will strain his vocal cords.

 

I don't dislike him -- I actually liked him in Hadestown -- but he is clearly limited and has to date had a lot of luck.

[carlisle14]

Posted: 2/2/26 at 11:00am

Gatsby opened it's US National Tour this weekend in Baltimore.  Sales were solid for the weekend shows, but LuckySeat was used to fill-in sluggish sales for the shows coming this week for the weekdays.  Think that is telling that the originating tour stop for the show didn't sell out. especially considering that Baltimore has a renown strong subscription base that sells most of the tickets via subscription.  Just not the buzz to sell tickets, I guess.

I've seen this on with the Broadway cast, and now the tour.  The tour holds up very well ... one could argue better.  I know Jeremy Jordan isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I do like him.  I think he is better than Jake David Smith at the role, but not by much.  Smith does command the role and stays in the same ballpark as Jordan.  He can sing, he can act, and the crowd certainly murmurs with impressive pause when he strips to his boxers for the pool scene!  Where the touring cast takes the edge is with Daisy ... Senzel Ahmady.  She is an equally amazing actress as she is a singer, being a deep passion for the role.  Let's see if she can keep up the commitment for 8 shows a week as she bounces across the USA, but from my third row vantage I could see her produce real tears as she sang with such passion.  Will Branner as Tom was one you love to hate as the villain.. I loathed him as his flippant sexists in this role more than his Broadway counterpart.  Tap in act two was more on-point in the tour... did not miss once and brought some more fun and sizzle to it.  Overall, act 2 in the tour show had more of a wow factor than the Broadway version.  Seemed like they just went for it full blast. Staging and lighting is very much comparable to the Broadway version. The energy, passion, and emotion was thick.  Really sold the show.  As I mentioned, it was the opening weekend so still very fresh for the cast... not sure if they can bring this level every night.  If they do, it is certainly worth a watch when it comes to your city.  

Updated On: 2/2/26 at 11:00 AM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/2/26 at 11:52am

How do they do the final moment on the tour?

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

When Gatsby gets shot

 

Updated On: 2/2/26 at 11:52 AM

[carlisle14]

Posted: 2/2/26 at 2:27pm

Call_me_jorge said: "How do they do the final moment on the tour?"

Gatsby is seen with an outstretched arm, in his suit ... all the spotlights are glowing bright white upon him, as he is staring off toward the Green light.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/2/26 at 3:36pm

They don’t have him roll off the stage?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/18/26 at 9:05am

Michael Maliakel and Austin Colby will depart the musical on March 29.

Starting March 30, Corbin Bleu and John Behlmann will play Nick Carraway and Tom Buchanan. 

[Shannon Bo Dannon]

Posted: 2/24/26 at 1:07pm

Call_me_jorge said: "They don’t have him roll off the stage?"

I saw the show in Dallas this past Sunday. Instead of the orchestra pit being the pool, they built a set upstage to look like the pool. I'm not sure how to describe it, they had it where the pool looked like it was underground as a part of the stage with an outer rim/fence that was a few feet off the ground to block it off from the audience view. They had a backdrop too to help with the pool water effect.

There were two or three small steps as part of the outer rim that Gatsby took leading up to the pool and had it where it looked like he was standing at the edge of it. When he got shot the first time, he was standing and leaning forward clutching his chest. When he got shot the second time, he fell backwards into "the pool" aka a mat hidden on the stage by the set I'm guessing, and there was a splash sound effect. The audience gasped, and it was pretty effective in my opinion. 

I think the other poster was talking about the literal final moment of the show.

I hope that all made sense!