TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
TXST Musical Theatre graduate Joann Gilliam returns to Central Texas as one of the stars of the Broadway Across America production of “The Great Gatsby.” She is playing Myrtle’s sister Catherine as well as Gatsby’s party singer, the glitzy Gilda Gray, for the Austin run of the production at Bass Concert Hall from March 10-15.
Gilliam, a 2024 TXST graduate, joined the Broadway Across America touring company eight months ago, and is excited to bring the classic tragedy of lost love and decadence to audiences across the US.
“We have a lot of kids coming to the shows,” Gilliam said. “It’s awesome to be traveling the road and having these kids of all different backgrounds see diverse people up on stage.”
One of the aspects she most loves about this stage production of “The Great Gatsby” is the contemporary feel brought to life by writer Kait Kerrigan.
“The show plays with a more modern hip/hop twist,” Gilliam said. “Now we’re bringing those two time periods together between all aspects. This musical is a great melting pot of the time from before and now.”
The show is a visual extravaganza, according to Gilliam. “The costumes are some of the most beautiful, well-crafted glitz-and-glam costumes I’ve ever worn. ... Our choreographer, Dominique Kelly, helps further the show even more. With Dominique’s choreography, the ensemble are helping tell the story and move the plot.”
Gilliam also said that this version of the Gatsby story adds more depth to the female roles.
“Kerrigan has written this story in a more thirdperson perspective to raise the female voices,” she said. “You get more story behind the female characters. That, for me, is why I love this musical so much. It’s important to hear another perspective.
“Everyone deserves the chance to see themselves represented in our industry ... Although so much time has passed, there are ideals that we are still struggling with today,” she said.
As an alumnus of the Texas State University’s world-renowned Musical Theatre program, Gilliam embodies the core values of the program in life as well as on stage. Kaitlin Hopkins, the program’s recently-retired department chair, grew it from the ground up to be one of the top 25 drama schools in the world.
“What she’s built has changed so many lives,” Gilliam said. “You really do get to know everybody in the program. There are tons of alumni in NYC. They have a community waiting in New York so you never feel alone.”
While that community has become Gilliam’s home away from home, she is looking forward to returning to San Marcos during this tour.
“San Marcos has a different energy,” Gilliam said. “It’s a magical place.”
Gilliam will continue to carry a bit of that magic with her on stage in “The Great Gatsby.”
April 10, 2025, marked the 100th anniversary of “The Great Gatsby.” The iconic novel, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, brought to glittering light the world of millionaire Jay Gatsby through the eyes of the observant bystander, Nick Carraway. The original Gatsby explores the corruption of the American Dream, highlighting the divide between old and new money and how obsession can destroy everything a person holds dear.
In the original novel, Fitzgerald writes about social class, illuminating the immoral underbelly of high society, which is fueled by wealth and the illusion of security.
The Jazz Age world of Gatsby’s 20s shares remarkable similarities with the world of today. The 1920s experienced a “post-pandemic” roar following the Spanish flu of 1918 similar to that which followed 2020’s COVI-19. In both eras, what was considered normal dramatically shifted following global crises. The Roaring 20s in each century featured innovation in technology as well as radical shifts in social norms, and a rising income inequality between the middle and upper class.
With so many parallels drawn between 1920 and now, it makes sense to have an adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” come to life on stage as a larger-than-life musical. The show, which opens Tuesday at Bass Concert Hall, loudly points out that though we’ve come so far in the last 100 years, we still have a long way to go.
“The Great Gatsby” roars into Bass Concert Hall March 10-15, Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $35. Tickets are available at texasperformingarts. org and BroadwayinAustin. com, by phone at (512) 477-1444, or from the Texas Performing Arts ticket office at Bass Concert Hall.
