One hundred years and a day since the first publication of Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby – as director Marc Bruni informed us at the start of the show – Kait Kerrigan, Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen’s much expected musical launched itself on the stage of the London Coliseum to one of the most excited and receptive audiences I’ve ever witnessed. Many dressed for the occasion with sparkly flapper outfits, or old sport peaked caps; I went for my Autograph at Marks and Spencer look. And what a charming first performance gift – on every seat was a commemorative copy of the book.

If you know me IRL as the young people say, you’ll know that I’m a front stalls kind of guy; that way you can observe the facial expressions, catch any tiny mishaps and truly be a part of what’s going on. My ticket was provided by that generous chap the Squire of Sidcup (he’s moved now, but although you can take the squire out of Sidcup, you can’t etc…) as we’re both huge fans of the book and I have a significant birthday coming up. However, the Squire is more of a towards the back of the dress circle kind of guy, and at that distance, particularly in a space as vast as the Coliseum, you can’t really see the facial expressions. Added to the fact that this was the first preview, this isn’t by any means a full and incisive review – just a reaction to what I saw.

And what I saw was a sheer delight. I had no expectations of the show, in that I didn’t know the songs, and I had read no reviews of the Broadway production. Bear in mind, this a big, lavish musical that primarily concentrates on the love story, and Fitzgerald’s subtler themes of insincerity, lack of vision, material versus spiritual wealth and the failure of the American Dream all take a back seat. Many years ago we saw another staging of Gatsby, Gatz, and this is as far from that kind of adaptation as it’s possible to get.

Given the romantic angle, the show tells the story of The Great Gatsby remarkably well. It still uses Nick as its central narrative thread, it shows the heartache behind the glamour, it reveals how removed George and Myrtle are from the excesses of East Egg, and it places the timeless story firmly in its 1925 setting, with contemporary musical routines. If it lacks anything, there isn’t a lot of humour in the show; there are some nice comic moments with the likes of Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle, but the male characters are not comic types and there aren’t many laughs in the book.

As spectacle, the show is outstanding; the sets take your breath away, the lighting is stunning, the costumes are immaculate, and the eighteen-piece orchestra work their socks off. A delicate story like this could easily be shattered by excessive amplification, but every note sung – indeed every word spoken – has perfect clarity of both volume and elocution, and the singing throughout the entire show is completely fantastic. Given this was its first preview, I could not believe how seamlessly and perfectly the entire performance took place. I can’t imagine that there are any tweaks to be made between now and Press Night.

The cast are uniformly superb, headed by Jamie Muscato as Gatsby, conveying the character’s disconnect from the rest of his environment; rather like the Wizard of Oz, his reputation and influence are far greater than the substance of the man himself. I realise I’ve only seen Mr Muscato once before, way back in the days of the excellent Bend It Like Beckham; he was terrific in that, but, as they say, from little acorns… His stage presence and vocal power are extraordinary. Frances Mayli McCann is also exceptional as Daisy, full of emotion and with a fantastic voice; she’s also matched with Jon Robyns’ chillingly believable Tom – given his terrific voice, it’s a shame that Tom has no solo songs.

Rachel Tucker gives us a truly spirited and gorgeously tragic Myrtle, Amber Davies is fantastic as Jordan Baker, and – as you would expect – John Owen-Jones tremendous as Meyer Wolfsheim, a part that is built up in the show more than perhaps the book warrants. The ever-reliable Joel Montague is perfect as George, and, in his West End debut, American star Corbin Bleu is outstanding as Nick, through whose eyes all the events of the story are seen.

Beautiful to look at, glorious to hear; full of impact and entertainment, and with some stunning performances. What’s not to love?

Five Alive Let Theatre Thrive!