Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada Are Bringing THE GREAT GATSBY To Life
The Roaring Twenties are headed to Millburn, New Jersey! In what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated productions this fall, The Great Gatsby, based on the beloved F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, is headed to open Paper Mill Playhouse’s new season starring Eva Noblezada and Jeremy Jordan.
Featuring a book by Kait Kerrigan and a jazz/pop-influenced score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, the eccentric world of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby (Jordan) is turned on its head during his tragic pursuit of one Daisy Buchanan (Noblezada) all during the height of opulence and prohibition. Marc Bruni will direct the world-premiere musical with Dominique Kelly as the production’s choreographer.
Rounding out the cast will be Sara Chase as Myrtle, Stanley W. Mathis as Wolfsheim, Samantha Pauly as Jordan, Noah J. Ricketts as Nick, Paul Whitty as Wilson, and John Zdrojeski as Tom. The cast also features Lauryn Adams, Raymond Edward Baynard, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Austin Colby, Colin Cunliffe, Natalie Charle Ellis, Curtis Holland, Brianna Kim, Dariana Mullen, Mariah Reives, Julio Rey, Dan Rosales, Maya Sistruck, Jake Trammel, Jake Urban, Tanairi Vazquez, and Katie Webber.
I sat down with Jordan and Noblezada in their first interview for the production, to chat about bringing this iconic novel to life.
“We both read the novel in school, and have since revisited it a few times as we lead up to rehearsals,” said Jordan. “I am a big fan of Jason Howland, one of our wonderful composers and lyricists, so I am excited to dive into it.”
“I can’t wait to dive into the work. Many of the roles that I have done have been similar in vibes, very tragic, and sung through, and emotionally taxing. I think this is going to be an exciting and glamorous challenge for me, but also a great adventure,” said Noblezada.
Jordan also talked to me about the process of adaptation. “To evoke that sense of period that is so gorgeously written is going to be a big challenge, and I am really excited to tackle it,” he told me. “The material and text is already there. The world is already created, we just get to step into it and adapt it in a way that makes sense walking into a theatre in 2023. That’s the magic of theatre, and hey, you can’t spell theatre without heart.”
The Great Gatsby is set to have its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn New Jersey from October 12 - November 12, 2023.
For tickets and more information, visit here.