The Great Gatsby at the Coliseum: 'a little empty beneath the razzmattazz'

Jamie Muscato & Frances Mayli McCann in The Great Gatsby - (Johan Persson)

The months-long cheesy poster campaign for this Broadway musical adapted from Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of wealthy amorality in the Roaring 20s had me fearing the worst. In performance this Gatsby turns out to be a sleek, ravishingly designed ocean liner of a show, with enough musical oomph and vocal power to distract you from the hollowness at its heart.

The score by Jason Howland blends pop-power anthems with Jazz Age influences and even a little ragtime; Nathan Tysen’s lyrics are deftly witty, though Kait Kerrigan’s book tends towards the portentous.