ART’s gorgeous ‘Gatsby’ just needs better balance

By Rich Fahey

CAMBRIDGE –  A few years after the end of World War I —  The War to End All Wars – everything seemed possible in America.

In 1925, novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a novel called “The Great Gatsby”  about a mysterious self-made millionaire living in a small  Long Island village, just across the bay from a lost love.

The work is now in the public domain and for the second time in just a few months, a new musical has arisen from the book, and has begun its journey to Broadway.

“The Great Gatsby” officially opened on Broadway on April 25, and The American Repertory Theater’s world premiere adaptation of Fitzgerald’s work, “Gatsby,” is now on stage at the Loeb Drama Center.

The work is directed by Rachel Chavkin, a Tony winner for “Hadestown” who has previously directed “Moby Dick” and “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” at the A.R.T. and who  here has surrounded herself with some of the best artists and designers working in the theater today.

The resulting  “Gatsby” is a gorgeous and vibrant production, with the only caveat that it  struggles at times  to find the right  balance among three very strong elements competing for attention: A book by playwright Martyna Majok (“The Cost of Living”); a pulsating pop-rock score  with music by Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine) and Grammy-winning producer and singer Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman) and lyrics by Welch; and the often dazzling choreography of Sonya Tayeh and her talented ensemble.

There are times when both the score and the choreography tend to overwhelm Majok’s book, which captures the essence of Fitzgerald’s work and manages to make dramatically clear why the show’s subtitle is “An American Myth.”   

Majok wrote her adaptation during the pandemic and noted that the events in “Gatsby’ came hard on the heels of both World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed millions and both events influenced the way characters in Gatsby acted and felt.

In an interview, she called Fitzgerald’s work “the most hopeful but clear-eyed portrait of the American mentality and the American spirit I’ve ever encountered.”

Ben Levi Ross is Nick Carraway, our narrator from the Midwest who works as a bond trader in the city, and who  has come to Long Island  to visit his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Charlotte MacInnes), a former Louisville socialite whose marriage to the arrogant, wealthy Tom Buchanan (Corey Jeacoma) appears to be in trouble.

Nick moves into the cottage next door to his cousin and  finds himself intrigued by the lavish parties. Living just across the bay from the Buchanans is Jay Gatsby (Isaac Powell), a noveau-riche type whose earlier relationship with Daisy ended when he was sent off to war in Europe. Daisy’s family looked down on Jay and found for Daisy the “proper” husband, “old money” Tom Buchanan.

Gatsby enlists Nick’s help in getting Daisy back. Powell’s Gatsby oozes charisma and you can feel the longing  as he stares at the iconic famous green light that shines  at the end of the Buchanans’ East Egg  dock, not only denoting the presence of his former love serving as a beacon urging him to lift himself up and have both Daisy and the social status to go along with his money.

Eleri Ward is a cool observer as golfer Jordan Clark, Daisy’s best friend.

The performance of the evening is by Solea Pfeiffer as the working-class Myrtle Wilson, whose part has been beefed up in Majok’s book.  She takes up with the brutish Tom Buchanan and their affair includes harrowing scenes that  may continue to haunt you long after you’ve left the theater.

Myrtle and husband George  (Matthew Amiral), the luckless owner of an auto repair shop, have known tragedy in the loss of a child to the 1918 flu pandemic , a death that might have been avoided had they been wealthier. She wants more than George can give her and yearns to  be accepted fully into Tom’s gilded world  beyond the menial jobs that bring her into their homes,  believing  her affair lifts her  to their level, only to find out she is only Tom’s plaything.

The heartbreak of Myrtle and George’s disintegrating marriage is captured in Pfeiffer and Amiral’s wrenching rendition of “What of Love, What of God” In Act II.

The voices across the board are simply sublime and Welch and Bartlett’s score provide them plenty of opportunity to test their vocal instruments.

MacInnis describes in detail what her role in her marriage is in Act I’s “Golden Girl,” and later she and Powell will combine for  “A Month in Love,” recalling those idyllic days after they met in Kentucky.

There is a fine supporting turn in a small role by Adam Grupper as Wolfsheim, a menacing, disquieting figure with cuff links made of human molars who employs Jay in an unnamed (but possibly nefarious) business; he takes Nick aside and praises Gatsby for his ambition and work ethic. Grupper soars in “Feels Like Hell,” an ode to the emptiness of The American Dream.

At a recent performance, Tony Gale’s overzealous sound design made it difficult o make out some of the lyrics.

There is no denying that “Gatsby”  is a stunning  spectacle. The orchestra led by Wiley Deweese on the grand piano is upstage, visible and seemingly suspended on two banked tiers, on Oscar winner Mimi Lien’s set. She deploys spiral staircases to portray the grandeur of Gatsby’s mansion. Crushed pieces from a a wrecked automobile foreshadow what is to come. Raindrops are streaming lights  in the number “Pouring Down.”

At one point, a beautiful parlor arises from below the stage, the opulence presented  in  stark contrast  to the small, bleak room where the Wilsons live.

The costumes by Sandy Powell are superb, from Roaring 20s flapper-ware to Gatsby’s show-stopping pink pastel suit.

Choreographer Tayeh, a Tony winner for “Moulin Rouge!” has assembled a diverse, athletic dance ensemble, but there are instances  when dazzling  displays in the many production numbers do threaten to overwhelm the story instead of complementing it.

In the end, the power of Majok’s rebooting of the classic book wins the day, taking nothing away from the score, the choreography and Chavkin’s vision in bringing it all to life.

Almost a century after his debut, the iconic Jay Gatsby and his tragic story still have the power to mesmerize an audience, this time in a daring, bold new way.

The American Repertory Theater production of “Gatsby.” Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Directed by Rachel Chavkin. Book by Martyna Majok. Music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett. Lyrics by Florence Welch. Orchestrations and Arrangements by Thomas Bartlett. Additional orchestrations by Sally Herbert and Thomas Burhorn. Choreography by Sonya Tayeh. Scenic design by Mimi Lien. Costume design by Sandy Powell. Lighting design by Alan C, Edwards. Sound design by Tony Gayle. Hair and Wig design by Matthew Armentrout. At the Loeb Drama Center through Aug. 3. Amrep.org