It’s been nearly 100 years since F. Scott Fitzgerald published his masterpiece The Great Gatsby. Since then, the book has been examined by high school classrooms, turned into two movies, a TV show, and served as inspiration for themed parties. Now, it looks like the story is getting turned into a Broadway musical with the help of Florence And The Machine singer Florence Welch.
Dubbed The Great Gatsby, A New Musical, the play’s music is being written by Welch and Grammy Award nominee Thomas Bartlett, who previously worked with Welch on Florence And The Machine’s track “Jenny of Oldstones.” The timeline for the musical’s release is still in the works, but the musical will feature a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok and will be directed by Olivier Award nominee Rebecca Frecknall.
Expressing her excitement about the project, Welch said she’s been a longtime fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing: “This book has haunted me for a large part of my life. It contains some of my favourite lines in literature. Musicals were my first love, and I feel a deep connection to Fitzgerald’s broken romanticism. It is an honour to have been offered the chance to recreate this book in song.”
The Great Gatsby, A New Musical producers Amanda Ghost and Robert Fox echoed Welch’s sentiment and complimented her songwriting abilities. “Florence’s passion for Gatsby and exceptional musical storytelling will bring this iconic love story to life in ways we have never experienced before,” they said. “Martyna and Rebecca are two of the most exciting theatre artists of their generation and, together, this extraordinary team brings a thrilling new perspective to one of the most culturally significant books of all time. It’s been 100 years since The Great Gatsby was published and there could be no better time for a new musical adaptation of the greatest party America ever threw.”