PicksInSix Review: The Great Gatsby: A New Musical - Broadway in Chicago

“BORNE BACK CEASELESSLY INTO THE PAST”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The splashy opulence of the 1920s Jazz Age comes to life in the national touring production of "The Great Gatsby: A New Musical," which opened at Broadway in Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre on Wednesday night. F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel—considered by many one of the finest works of the 20th century—explores wealth, power, privilege and intrigue. The stage adaptation features a book by Kait Kerrigan with music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Nathan Tysen and is directed by Marc Bruni with choreography by Dominique Kelly.

Jake Davis Smith and Senzel Ahmady star as the ill-fated lovers Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, reunited through Daisy's cousin Nick Carraway, played by Joshua Grosso. Carraway's romance with Daisy's best friend, amateur golfer Jordan Baker (Leanne Robinson), draws him into Gatsby's extravagant world. There he uncovers that Daisy's domineering husband Tom (Will Banner) is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson (Lila Coogan), the socially ambitious wife of George Wilson (Tally Sessions)—a well-meaning mechanic entangled in a bootlegging operation run by the nefarious Meyer Wolfsheim (Edward Staudenmayer).

By necessity, the musical reimagines Carraway as less of a narrator than in Fitzgerald's novel, where his voice serves as the story's binding, poetic force. Even so, Kerrigan's book successfully frames the story's broader themes, though some of the darker character details—fully exposed when the tide turns on Gatsby—are condensed along the way.

That depth emerges through the lush Howland-Tysen score. Highlights include Smith's soaring ballad "For Her," the duet "My Green Light" with Ahmady, and "Past Is Catching Up With Me." Robinson shines alongside Grosso, Staudenmayer and the company in the swinging "New Money" and with Grosso in "Better Hold Tight." Ahmady's "For Better or Worse," Coogan's "Second-Hand Suit," "God Sees Everything," and Grosso's "The Met" also stand out. Ensemble numbers "Roaring On" and "Shady" are stellar and Joann Gilliam's Gilda Gray alongside the electric performance of The Sugars (Anna Gassett, Josiah Hicks, Tyler Johnson-Campion and Macy McKown) steal the show with "La Dee Dah With You."

The production unfolds on Paul Tate DePoo III's magnificent set, whose elegant panels and scenic elements frame vivid projections—from the shimmering shoreline and Daisy's green dock light to Gatsby's grand estate, Carraway's Long Island cottage, the Sugar Hill apartment, the Plaza Hotel suite and George's garage in the Valley of Ashes, loomed over by Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's billboard eyes. Two cars—Tom's modest blue coupe and Gatsby's gleaming yellow roadster—make a striking and memorable impression. Linda Cho's exquisite costumes and Cory Pattak's lighting design complete a stunning visual tapestry.

Ultimately, "The Great Gatsby: A New Musical" is an American tragedy of indulgence and deception—a portrait of the privileged few who sacrifice integrity for self-preservation. It is a reflection that feels urgent for this moment in time, and a powerful reminder of the enduring significance of Fitzgerald's work and the flickering green light of hope for the future.

PHOTO|Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Broadway in Chicago
presents
The Great Gatsby
A New Musical
Cadillac Palace Theater
through May 3, 2026

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PicksInSix Review: Billie Jean - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

BILLIE JEAN: Winners Find A Way.
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy

Earlier this month at the WNBA All-Star game, players donned tee shirts with a message to owners engaged in collective bargaining negotiations for better pay, upgrades in travel and accommodations, and other aspects for a new—and richly deserved—contract.

Back in the days of Billie Jean King, with no collective bargaining options, it was up to a few of the uber-talented competitors to lay it on the line, buck the status quo for women and galvanize the public and sponsors to force change, provide educational opportunities in sports camps and raise all boats to a more equitable level.

From the early moments of the world premiere of Lauren M. Gunderson’s fast-paced and superb biographical play “Billie Jean” that opened Thursday in Chicago Shakespeare’s Yard, there is no doubt that the life and times of tennis great Billie Jean King are safely, and most exquisitely, in the capable hands of Chilina Kennedy whose explosive interpretation is shoulder-to-shoulder with the iconic ground-breaking spirit of the competitor she portrays. A valiant crusade by a central figure who is a champion to many causes and a force that we can both admire and respect. Kennedy’s performance is a grand slam.

Directed with a sensitivity and purpose by Marc Bruni, the show transitions on a dime from the raw innocence of a driven young talent (a delightful and impulsive Julia Antonelli) to King’s early success to achieving the dream of competing, and winning, at Wimbledon and reaching the precipice of the sport as her generation’s most dominant star.

King was not alone in the emerging sport of women’s tennis, and she and those around her challenged the staggering imbalance in valuation between men’s and women’s tennis. That part of King’s professional development, and how she relentlessly focused her energy and support to affect change, is central to the “Billie Jean” storyline.

This all plays out in a blistering series of scenes that follow a linear path, winning at Wimbledon, meeting and marrying Larry King (a solid performance by Dan Amboyer), developing her reputation as a fierce, no-holds-barred competitor on the court, and, as an unstoppable personality in the public spotlight. Consistently challenging the male-dominated social atmosphere around her, many of her most critical public turning points have as much to do with the breakdown of the trust of others as it does with following her own feelings. Which brings us to that commitment to truth and her very public personal life that is one of the most powerful and moving elements of “Billie Jean.” Overcome and swept up in her whirlwind relationship and marriage to King, who would become her manager, she was at the same time questioning her own sexuality, which leads to an ill-fated relationship that hovers over the story until the public exposure leaves her personal life and professional career in shambles. Finding her own truth, and the relationship with her eventual life partner, Ilona Kloss (Callie Rachelle Johnson in a brilliantly understated performance), leads to the triumphant conclusion of “Billie Jean.”

Gunderson has constructed the play as an ensemble piece with all of the intersecting players moving in and out of Billie Jean’s public and private life as activist, champion and survivor. It all plays out appropriately on Wilson Chin’s stylized tennis court set with bleacher-like seating for the company on either side with an ingeniously incorporated turntable center court. The stage is framed with a backdrop of forty-five Wimbledon-like trophy lights serving many scenic purposes, and, modular screens with artfully produced projections by David Bengali intermingled with live video segments. Together with Jane Shaw’s versatile costumes, and the fine work of movement director Steph Paul, the entire production is a visual feast.

But, make no mistake, this is Kennedy’s show—an extraordinary performance that is compelling, heartfelt and richly-crafted, effortlessly navigating the highs and lows of King’s life from adolescent adulation, lover, mentor, friend to legend and allowing the legacy of Billie Jean King to land powerfully in our memory as a poignant reminder of how far we have come, and how far we have still to go.     

PHOTO|Justin Barbin

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
World Premiere
BILLIE JEAN
The Yard
Navy Pier
through August 10, 2025

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PROGRAM

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

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PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC