The Great Gatsby Brings the Jazz Age to Academy of Music

If you've been wanting a night out with a bit of 1920s glamour, the Philadelphia premiere of The Great Gatsby is running at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street, through Sunday, November 1. The Tony-winning musical is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel and follows Jay Gatsby, a man who rises from poverty to great wealth while chasing Daisy Buchanan, the woman he lost years earlier. The book is by Kait Kerrigan, a Doylestown native and Muhlenberg College graduate, while Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen wrote the music and lyrics. Marc Bruni directed the production, and Dominique Kelley handled the choreography.

The show has a fairly long history behind it. It opened on Broadway in April 2024 and took home the Tony Award for Best Costume Design that year, with Linda Cho getting the honor. It also picked up a number of fan awards, and the West End version played the London Coliseum during 2025. According to the press materials, this touring staging brings fireworks and cars onto the stage, which gives the story a big, busy look that suits the period.

The cast includes Jake David Smith as Gatsby and Senzel Ahmady as Daisy, with Joshua Grosso as Nick Carraway, Leanne Robinson as Jordan Baker, and Lila Coogan as Myrtle Wilson. Austin Colby is playing Tom Buchanan for a limited run starting October 21, and Will Branner also plays the role. Tally Sessions is George Wilson, and Edward Staudenmayer plays Meyer Wolfsheim. The running time is two hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission. The show is recommended for ages 10 and up. Infants aren't allowed in, and children 5 and older need their own tickets.

Two performances in the run are set up with accessibility features. The first is an American Sign Language and audio description show on Friday, October 30, at 7:30 PM. The second is a captioned performance on Saturday, October 31, at 1:30 PM. Tickets can be bought at ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music box office. Groups of 10 or more can call 215-790-5883 or email groupsales@ensembleartsphilly.org to ask about group pricing.

The theater itself is a good part of the evening. The Academy opened in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962, and it served as the original home of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1900 until the orchestra moved to the Kimmel Center in 2001. Ensemble Arts Philly owns and runs the building, and it is part of the Avenue of the Arts. If you go, it's worth arriving with a little extra time to look around the hall.