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The Great Gatsby
Derby Theatre
*** F SCOTT Fitzgerald’s novel is a literary
classic, one which transferred well to the cinema but which rarely
appears on stage. Blackeyed Theatre have sought to put that right
with an adaptation by Stephen Sharkey which incorporates song, dance and
live music. Victoria Spearing’s set eschews detail in favour
of minimalist tiered white blocks, seemingly straight out of IKEA , and
back projection images with the colour and glamour for the production
coming from the lavish and stylish costume design by Jenny Little. The story is a century old, the theme older
still, of a love that cannot be, nestling in decadence and deceit. The
cast have to work hard, acting, singing, dancing, and playing
instruments and apply themselves with energy and dexterity. “Gatsby’s theme/Party music” opens the show as an
ensemble piece, setting the tone, leading to a series of enjoyable
musical set pieces of period standards, well performed, and well sung.
It stops short of becoming a musical as the music plays to complement
the mood rather than advance the narrative. Adam Jowett excels as a charismatic Nick Carraway,
narrating the story as it unfolds. Tristan Pate revelled in the
unappealing character of Tom Buchanan. Celia Cruwys-Finnigan is the star
of the show as Daisy, shimmying and sashaying around in the best
dresses, and generally looking gorgeous, but it is Stacey Ghent’s Myrtle
who has the most fun. Sharkey’s script is a decent stab at translating
the page to stage, with the poetry of the prose nicely to the fore, but
challenging F Scott Fitzgerald’s vision of the story as a novel is a
pretty impossible task. The strong student contingent in the audience
will have much to reflect upon in assessing this rare staging of the
novel. This production is bold in its conceit, and
innovative in its approach, a credit to Director Eliot Giuralarocca, and
musical director and arranger, Ellie Verkerk. It runs till Saturday
13th February then continues on national tour. Gary Longden 09-02-16 For further information
on The Great Gatsby on tour visit
www.blackeyedtheatre.co.uk
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