←Recommendations of These Gilded Souls (A Great Gatsby)

As thematically dense as Fitzgerald's novel, while streamlining the narrative and folding in modern resonances – Kantor's adaptation is a masterful translation of the spirit of the novel to the stage. I was buzzing while reading, in awe of how much care has been put into not just what story the audience will hear, but how they will hear it. The addition of skipping music as a device is inspired. As fast and imaginative as Gatsby himself, but more careful than he ever was.

This is a captivating adaption will be sure to draw audiences and keep them enthralled for the entire time. Aly Kantor makes this adaptation unique, innovative, and true to the original story. It’s theatrical, tense, and rich in atmosphere!

Part homage, part deconstruction, this always compelling take renders Gatsby eminently theatrical. The mix of jazz-age spectacle and repressed gender identity make for a kaleidoscopic experience. We see Nick struggle with who he himself is as much has he struggles to learn who Gatsby is. Kantor is to be congratulated on this thrilling achievement.

I loved this book when I read it in 11th grade, and Aly Kantor's adaptation is both amazingly faithful and fantastically fresh. I didn't realize it was possible to make The Great Gatsby so theatrical, but from the note "A green light (a ghost light?) should illuminate the stage from the moment the audience arrives," I knew it was going to be GOOD. It feels like the 1920s and the 2020s simultaneously. I wish I could have seen this production. I love the way music is incorporated, I love the two Gatsbys.... This play is wonderful.

I had the pleasure of collaborating on the original production of Kantor’s wonderful adaptation; equal parts frothy and spectral, like taking a look at the famous story through a broken mirror. I had been previously skeptical of Gatsby’s ability to translate to the stage, but Kantor has given us a fluid, fanciful adaptation. Her Nick Carraway is a latter-day Christopher Isherwood, the ever-observant observer. If you’re looking for a Gatsby, this is the one.

Haunted Nick Carraway "addresses his ghosts" in this clever, faithful and yet highly original retelling of The Great Gatsby. It remains true exactly in the places it needs to remain true; retaining Fitzgerald's poetry in just the right places and yet --without losing any of the gilded gaudy jazz age atmosphere --brings this early 20th century story firmly into today. Characters like Nick and Jordan are redefined but also clarified. Even Kantor's stage directions show a clear and confident understanding of Fitzgerald's work: "A full blackout, like God has blinked." No wonder Kantor's premiere was sold out!