The Wessex Wire

The Student News Site of West Essex Regional High School

The Wessex Wire

The Wessex Wire

“The Great Gatsby” Takes the Stage

Great+Gatsby+makes+a+flashy+first+musical+appearance+at+the+Papermill+Playhouse+this+fall.
Delaney Piccoli
Great Gatsby makes a flashy first musical appearance at the Papermill Playhouse this fall.

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic American novel. High school English classes have spent years discussing the folly of the American dream that Jay Gatsby relentlessly chases and analyzing the unreliable narrator of Nick Carraway. Four film adaptations have graced the screens over the years, and now, Fitzgerald’s classic finally takes the stage.

The Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, has started rehearsals for the brand-new  stage musical, “The Great Gatsby.” Running from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12, the musical’s star-studded cast has already generated massive interest from the theater community. 

The quintessential tenor, Jeremy Jordan, will portray the iconic title character of Jay Gatsby. A true musical theater legend, Jordan is best known for his portrayal of Jack Kelly in the Broadway musical “Newsies,” specifically for his iconic high-note in “Santa Fe”.” Playing his love interest, Daisy Buchanan, is the immensely talented Eva Noblezeda, who originated in the role of Eurydice in “Hadestown” for four years. This amount of star power on the Papermill stage is enough to send fans rushing to buy tickets. 

But while Noblezeda and Jordan’s talents are widely known, it does not diminish the skill of their fellow actors. Nick Carraway, our guide through Gatsby’s great world, is portrayed by immensely talented, though lesser-known actor, Noah J. Ricketts. 

The book of “The Great Gatsby” is written by Kait Kerrigan, a writer of the musical “Mad Ones,” and directed by Marc Bruni.  With their expertise, and unique music that combines both pop and jazz to create a unique vibe of the roaring twenties, there is no doubt tickets are going to start selling out fast. Social media is already flooding with footage from rehearsals, leaving musical theater fans filled with excitement about the show.

With the amount of positive press and generated interest, “The Great Gatsby” musical is bound to make a big, loud and grand entrance onto the stage. 

Behind the Byline
Delaney Piccoli
Delaney Piccoli, Arts & Culture Editor
Delaney Piccoli is an Arts & Culture Editor for the Wessex Wire. When she isn't scribbling in her notebook (or reading), she is a part of Masquers and the West Essex Concert choir. Whenever the time arises, she convinces her younger siblings to eat her burnt candy attempts.
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