Leanne Robinson in the First National Touring Company of The Great Gatsby | Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

As a disclaimer, you should know that I hated reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel in high school. It’s a literary classic and all, so perhaps I owe it another try as an adult, but I’m not eager to revisit it. I’m sure its take on the American Dream, class and corruption will have insights to offer adult Istvan, but I just don’t remember liking any of the characters or, more crucially, finding them at all compelling. I also still have unresolved scholastic trauma from the dissection of all those symbols. The colours of the damn cars, ugh… what a slog! 

This musical version of The Great Gatsby, presented by Mirvish, is certainly an event—teeming with the glitz and glamour of golden age Broadway spectacle. Directed for maximalist visual impact by Marc Bruni, it has impressive razzle-dazzle. Paul Tate de Poo III’s scenery chews itself as it showcases an array of art deco facades gliding in and out, providing frames for a vast canvas of projected backgrounds that are rather impressively well integrated. Continue Reading