“The Great Gatsby”
May 12th to 24th
national theater
1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
$59-$196
Thenationaldc.com
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is often called the “Great American Novel” for its depiction of ambition and self-invention alongside the reversal of success, and it’s a tell-all story in a quick read.
A novel set in the excesses and energy of the Roaring Twenties, and a hit Broadway musical of the same name with original jazz/pop music by Jason Howland and Nathan Theisen, The Great Gatsby tells the story of Nick Carraway’s friendship with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who attempts to reunite with his ex-girlfriend Daisy Buchanan.
Actor Edward Stoudenmayer first played Mayer Wolfshiem, the gangland kingpin who helped Gatsby amass his opaque fortune, during a four-month run in 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. As Mayer, Staudenmayer appropriately opens the second act with “Shady.”
Three months into its year-long North American tour, the show is scheduled for a brief run at Washington’s National Theater (May 12-May 24).
Applying eyeliner before a recent Wednesday matinee at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theater, the upstate New York-based actor spoke about Gatsby and his life in theater.
washington blade: Despite your good looks and great voice, you rarely lead men. How about that?
Edward Staudenmayer: I’m definitely a character guy. Ever since I was in high school, I had drawn lines on my face to play the role of an old man. I was the youngest freshman in college and I was playing the old man Uncle Sorin. [in Chekhov’s “The Seagull”].
Many villains also appeared. Some are darker than others. Mayer Wolfshiem is a very bad guy, but once he leaves the stage he doesn’t haunt me. I often play pickleball.
blade: Is it true that Wolfshiem, like many of Fitzgerald’s characters, is based on people the author has met in his life?
Staudenmayr: That’s true. Wolfshiem draws almost directly from the real-life gangsters and 1919 World Series fixers. [Arnold Rothstein].
blade: When did the 1925 novel first appear on your radar?
Staudenmayer: Like many of us, I was assigned The Great Gatsby in high school. It was short and filled with sex and illegal activities. I thought it was wonderful. It definitely wasn’t a Judy Blume novel.
Interestingly, the book wasn’t originally a big success for Fitzgerald, but because it was about war and having girls at home, he gave it as a gift to GIs leaving for World War II. After returning home, many of them joined the GI Bill and became English teachers. They assigned the book to their students.
blade The idea that Nick Carraway, the book’s first-person narrator, is gay and infatuated with Jay Gatsby has long been debated among readers and scholars. Does the musical touch on that?
Staudenmayr: Yes, there is speculation about Jay and Nick, and it is hinted at on our show as well. Jay’s temporary love interest, Jordan Baker, is also hinted at. Ultimately, she is a confirmed bachelor and a professional golfer who only wears pants.
Our performers are really good. Josh Grasso is fantastic as Nick. I had to stop watching his final scene. It’s not good for Meyer Wolfshiem to receive the curtain call in tears. Jake David Smith, aka our Gatsby, is also great. He’s gorgeous like Superman and sings like an angel.
blade: Have you ever imagined a backstory for a character whose sexuality is undefined?
Staudenmayr: I think so, but not in Wolfsheim. I can’t see it. I’m trying to be as merciless as possible towards this cold-blooded murderer.
blade: Have you ever had to do that in your career?
Staudenmayr: For a long time, I wore a mask to hide the fact that I was gay. I tried very hard to make the woman believe that I was into her or that I was a tough guy.
It’s a different world now. It’s so refreshing to be around young actors today. It’s surprisingly open and comfortable.
blade: What was your youth like?
Staudenmayr: I played high school football in Palm Springs. [he chuckles, alluding to the arid gay mecca]I was pretty good too. However, to the chagrin of my parents and coaches, I quit the team to play in my senior year’s competition. My super butch father was a semi-pro football player and former police officer. I was named after him. I have never been able to be a father, but I have often played one on stage. he was the real gaston [the bumptious rival in “Beauty and the Beast”]. And just like Gaston, he used horns in all his interior decorations.
blade: Did he live to see your theatrical success?
Staudenmayr: He did. Life was difficult growing up, but for the last 10 years of his life we couldn’t hang up on each other [his voice catches with emotion]. He accepted me completely and we became very good friends.
blade: Are there any roles in particular that you would like to play in the future?
Staudenmayr: Like all baritones, I would love to play Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd.” It’s getting closer, but it’s not there yet. There’s still time.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
