The London Coliseum is home to the biggest stage in London, making it the perfect setting for The Great Gatsby – A New Musical, a show filled with grand design and gorgeous visuals. But, did Gatsby’s glittering parties and decadent sets make the most of such a vast performance space?
Short answer: almost. Long answer: buckle up…
This Gatsby adaptation is ambitious. Visually, it’s spectacular. Scenic and projection designer Paul Tate dePoo III deserves a standing ovation for turning the Coliseum into a dazzling 1920s dream. They’ve taken what Mean Girls did with full-screen sets – I was obsessed with that set – and added proper physical scenery on top, blending screens seamlessly into the flats, so walls transform into gardens or sumptuous interiors without drawing needless attention to the screens. One particular garden scene, featuring Daisy and Jordan, is so lifelike and three-dimensional that, sitting right in the centre of row E, I genuinely couldn’t tell where real staging ended and the screens began. It was pure magic.


But there’s a catch: despite having a cast of 22, the colossal stage often feels a bit empty. Most scenes feature only a handful of actors at a time, and even though the sets are incredibly lavish (there are even two full-sized vintage cars rolling in and out at various points), there’s no disguising that sometimes the actors seem swallowed by their own lavish surroundings.
But when the cast and ensemble all hit the stage together, particularly during Gatsby’s lavish parties, everything clicks. The costumes by Linda Cho are just as extravagant as you’d expect, dripping in glamour and sequins. There’s a huge party scene in act two that filled the space beautifully. Four tap dancers (in the most exquisite blue outfits) lead an ensemble routine that fills the space with energy. Some of my fellow critics questioned if the tapping was prerecorded; I couldn’t tell or care. It looked and felt fantastic, and the singer at the heart of the party, crowned with the most spectacular headdress, was sensational.

Let’s talk performances. Jamie Muscato as Gatsby is the standout, hands down. He opens his mouth to sing, and the whole stage lights up. His voice fills every inch of the Coliseum, turning what could’ve been hollow spaces into resonant emotional arenas. Gatsby’s cool but vulnerable aura comes through beautifully, especially during “Only Tea,” where his anxiety and excitement about seeing Daisy after five years felt so palpable and authentic that it was genuinely moving.
Frances Mayli McCann, playing Daisy Buchanan, started slow for me. Initially, she seemed just another rich girl without much depth, until she wasn’t. Her performance of “For Better or Worse” vividly captures the quiet despair of a woman trapped by her era’s expectations, and by the time she sings “Beautiful Little Fool,” she had me wiping tears away.


Corbin Bleu as Nick Carraway is fantastic: warm, natural, and incredibly engaging. His best moment? “The Met,” a brilliantly staged number where he finds himself stranded in a sleazy apartment building instead of the museum, dodging flirtatious advances amidst furniture choreographed like a mad game of musical chairs. It’s clever, funny, and visually brilliant.
Amber Davies as Jordan Baker? Wow, what a voice. The chemistry between Nick and Jordan sparkles, and their playful duet, “Better Hold Tight,” is a standout moment of old-school musical charm.
Joel Montague as George Wilson is particularly strong. His scenes feel filled with emotional truth, especially as he sings earnestly to the looming billboard eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg in “God Sees Everything.” It’s raw, real, and resonant.


Rachel Tucker as Myrtle Wilson and Jon Robyns as Tom Buchanan also deliver powerful performances, though Robyns’s Tom is such an utterly convincing jerk that I found myself focused more on hating the character than remembering his singing (which I suppose is a compliment). Tucker nails Myrtle’s emotional arc brilliantly, her final number packing serious punch.
John Owen-Jones, as Meyer Wolfsheim, undoubtedly has a voice capable of playing Valjean or the Phantom (and he has). Unfortunately, during his solo, I found myself distracted trying to figure out if the smoke was real or digital. Sometimes the tech can be a little too good.
The songs by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen didn’t leave me humming on the way out, but that’s partly on me; I rarely remember songs after one viewing. What I absolutely do remember is the passion and emotion poured into every number. The show straddles multiple musical styles, from Les Mis grandeur to Chicago-style jazz, but nothing ever feels out of place. Unlike the Baz Luhrmann film version, there’s no sudden intrusion of modern hip-hop. Thank goodness.


Choreographer Dominique Kelley does wonderful things here. The movements feel period-appropriate yet dynamic, with a standout tap routine and clever, tight staging that makes smart use of the large space, when the ensemble actually fills it.
My only significant complaint on casting diversity is that, while the cast includes incredibly talented people of diverse heritage both in the lead and ensemble, there was a noticeable lack of darker-skinned women, reflecting an issue that remains frustratingly common in the West End. It would be great to see more talent like the wonderful Dujonna Gift in these leading roles.

But we looked fabulous (especially Elise) and couldn’t care a jot, old sport!
In short, The Great Gatsby – A New Musical at the Coliseum is exactly what you’d expect Gatsby’s world to be: extravagant, beautiful, occasionally overwhelming, and sometimes oddly lonely. But if you’re into spectacular visuals, powerful performances, and a healthy dash of Roaring Twenties decadence, you absolutely won’t regret diving into this glittering pool of excess and emotion.
After all, in Gatsby’s world, too much is never quite enough. Go see it, old sport; you’ll be glad you did!
The Great Gatsby – A New Musical is at the London Coliseum until Sept 7.
Tickets at londoncoliseum.org
Words by Nick Barr
Photos by Johan Persson