Gatsby musical sparks dialogue on gender, class

“Performing in Seoul feels like coming home,” said Kate Kerrigan, 45, the American playwright, and Nathan Tyson, 48, the lyricist of the musical The Great Gatsby. They spoke with Dong-A Ilbo on Aug. 7 at the GS Art Center in Gangnam, Seoul, smiling brightly.

The musical is adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920s novel set just before the Great Depression. This production is the first Broadway show led by an Asian producer, Shin Choon-su, CEO of Odi Company, which is why the creators consider Korea their home.

The Great Gatsby has been praised for depicting the emptiness and despair beneath the champagne and jazz parties of 1920s New York. After debuting on Broadway in April last year, it moved to London’s West End in April this year and opened in South Korea on Aug. 1.

Kerrigan and Tyson, who are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary this year, have impressive credentials. Kerrigan won the 2009 Kleban Award for the family musical Henry and Mudge, while Tyson earned a Tony Award nomination for Paradise Square.

This is the first time the couple has collaborated on the same project. Tyson laughed. “I’ve worked with many unpredictable writers, so I thought working with my wife would create great synergy.” They were introduced to producer Shin through The Great Gatsby composer Jason Howland. Kerrigan said, “Unlike other Broadway producers who try to cut costs, Shin gave us full creative freedom.”

The Great Gatsby follows Gatsby’s struggle to forget his lover, Daisy Buchanan. While the original novel is narrated by Daisy’s cousin Nick Carraway, the musical directly expresses the emotions of several characters. Kerrigan said, “Though women won the right to vote in the 1920s, it was still acceptable for husbands to have affairs. Especially Daisy, her close friend Jordan Baker, and Daisy’s husband Tom Buchanan’s mistress Myrtle Wilson all struggled with how to survive as women of their time.”

Daisy’s solo, “Beautiful Little Fool,” reflects these struggles. Though a brief line in the original novel, the song appears late in Act 2 of the musical. Kerrigan said, “I wanted the audience to fully understand Daisy before connecting with her emotions.”

Tyson said the lyrics aim to capture the novel’s impact. “Nick’s narration in the book is poetic but dense, so we included as much as possible in the characters’ dialogues,” he said. “My favorite chapter is ‘The Met,’ where Nick witnesses Tom and Myrtle’s affair. It’s playful, sexy, and complete.”

The first act depicts the fantasy world Gatsby builds, which falls apart in the second act. Kerrigan said, “It reveals how the characters’ goals were illusions, showing their dreams shattering.”

“Looking at the novel The Vegetarian or the film Parasite, Korea appears to be a society deeply engaged in debates over gender and class. I hope our work can continue that conversation,” Kerrigan said.

“The musical The Great Gatsby blends classic Broadway style with modern technology. I hope audiences enjoy the performance and feel happiness,” Tyson said.


사지원 기자 4g1@donga.com