One of the most iconic American tragedies is coming to the Aronoff Center in a completely new way.
An all-new, Tony-winning adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s legendary novel “The Great Gatsby” hit Broadway in 2024 and is now embarking on its first tour across the country. This Sept. 15, the show comes downtown to the Aronoff Center.
For those unaware, “The Great Gatsby” is a period piece set in the Roaring Twenties that follows the eccentric and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who will stop at nothing in the pursuit of the lost love of his youth, Daisy Buchanan. Released in 1925, it is widely considered a strong contender for the best American novel ever published. The musical version brings the prose of Fitzgerald to life in a new way through song and dance.
Zimmerman for MurphyMade, provided by Broadway in Cincinnati
“Most people probably had to read the book in school, or have seen the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire,” said Senzel Ahmady, who plays Daisy Buchanan in the production. “It’s really been a joy getting to take a book so popular in American literature to the stage. It is pretty different from the book. Without spoiling … we tell the story through a 2026 lens, which is also fun because you get to see a lot of parts of the story that you didn’t before.”
Ahmady majored in musical theater at NYU, but left two years into her degree after being called up for the national tour of Broadway’s “Aladdin” (which also stopped in Cincinnati in 2023). She later played Daisy in “The Great Gatsby” on Broadway, in South Korea, and will now do so across the country. Ahmady is one of very few cast members in the show to have played the same role multiple times on stage.
“What was really fun about this time was that I got basically an entirely new cast with so many new wonderful actors to work with to create a whole new different version of Gatsby. So many cast members can do the same musical, but it truly is so different depending on what those actors bring to the table,” she said. “I really enjoy the liberties that we take with our show, because it feels like a fresh take on something that everybody knows.”
Her favorite number in the show is “My Green Lights” at the end of Act One, a duet between her character and Gatsby, played here by the “wonderful” Jake David Smith. It details the first encounter between the two after five years apart, although Daisy has married another man. She said she feels differently each time they perform the number together.
“We’ve been rehearsing since January, so we’ve really fleshed out how we want our characters to interact. Last night, though, we actually just had our first show in two weeks. And it was so crazy to see how just being off for two weeks felt like a completely different show, with different emotions, different intentions,” she said. “It’s a good reminder that no matter how hard you try to be the same, the show is always going to be different, which is such a joy for both the actors and the audiences watching.”
As mentioned, Ahmady has already stopped in Cincinnati before — most recently during the nationwide tour of “Aladdin.” She professed a love for Sotto, which she said is “one of the best Italian restaurants in the world … I’ll never forget going. I still remember it to this day, and it was almost three years ago.”
During “Aladdin,” she only had a week in the Queen City; this time, she has two, so she plans to try more restaurants, go to a Reds game and explore the city some more. She might even try Skyline Chili.
“I’m always open to trying new things. I try not to be a picky eater, so I will definitely eat it. I can’t promise that I like it, but I will try it for sure,” she said, laughing.
Ahmady said that audiences should see the show because it’s the kind of gargantuan stage production that “not everyone is doing these days,” and cited the show’s “opulent” sets and Tony Award-winning costumes from Linda Cho as standouts.
“It really just is a feast for your eyes, and it’s just so fun to get to see the big classic musical. The sets are big, the costumes are sparkly. In a time when technology is taking over, live human performance for other humans cannot be replicated,” she said. “There’s a lot of AI in CGI used in movies, and there’s a lot of AI songwriting going on in the music industry. But the one thing it cannot touch is the theater community … This is one of the few musicals that anyone can like. Even if you don’t consider yourself a theater person, it’s fun for everyone to see something so classic put on a stage.”
The Great Gatsby premieres at the Aronoff Center this Tuesday, September 15 as part of the Broadway in Cincinnati program. The show runs through Sunday, September 27. Tickets are available now on the Cincinnati Arts Association’s official website.
