Highly acclaimed actress Sarah Hyland began her run in “The Great Gatsby: A New Musical” as Daisy Buchanan at the Broadway Theatre on Feb. 9 at the Sunday matinee. I had the pleasure of witnessing Hyland make her debut in this astounding show alongside many well-respected actors and Broadway stars, such as Ryan McCartan, Samantha Pauly, Noah J.
Ricketts and Terrence Mann. Those of you who are avid Broadway fans and viewers may be saying, wait, wasn’t Hyland supposed to begin on Feb. 10? And you would be entirely correct.
She made a surprise early start to this role. As I opened up my playbill to read through the cast before the curtain rose, I assumed there must have been a mistake when Hyland’s name was printed across from Daisy Buchanan, but this was no mistake. According to the ushers at the theater, she wanted to start a day early to get all the first performance jitters out.
From that moment, I knew the audience was in for a treat. With the news and the media buzzing about Hyland’s debut in this popular show, I cannot even imagine the weight she must have been feeling. I must admit, you could see her nerves peeking through, but she used her jittery and anxious persona to craft a new version of Daisy that made viewers completely rethink her as a character.
Her shaking hands and distraught looks furthered Daisy’s struggle in this show as a woman trapped in life, seeking freedom to be with the man she wants and trying not to crumble under the weight of societal .
