The soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 “The Great Gatsby” movie included Florence and the Machine’s haunting song “Over the Love” with lines that referenced iconic excerpts from the book like Now there’s green light in my eyes/ And my lover on my mind and On this champagne, drunken hope / Against the current, all alone. Now, imagine that but on a grander scale. That’s what we’re getting in the upcoming musical “Gatsby.”
Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1920s story about pining (and the American dream) entered public domain in 2021. That same year, Welch’s name was attached to its musical stage adaptation. Now, we’re inching closer to its debut season from May 25 to July 21, 2024 at Harvard University’s American Repertory Theater.
Apart from writing lyrics, Welch is creating the score with Oscar and Grammy Award nominee Thomas Bartlett, also known as Doveman. It’s staged by Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin (“Hadestown,” “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”) with choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh (“Moulin Rouge!”). It will also be accompanied by a book written by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok (“Cost of Living”).
“This book has haunted me for a large part of my life,” Welch said in a statement. “It contains some of my favorite lines in literature. Musicals were my first love, and I feel a deep connection to Fitzgerald’s broken romanticism. It is an honor to have been offered the chance to recreate this book in song.”
This year also boasts of another musical adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” one produced by Paper Mill Playhouse which stars Fil-Am Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada (“Hadestown,” “Yellow Rose”) as Daisy Buchanan.
“Gatsby” is now taking reservations via subscription to the American Repertory Theater. Will you be making the pilgrimage to watch it live?
Photo via Florence Welch’s Instagram
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