Theatre Preview
Eleanor Pearson 6 September 2016 A Poetic Spin on a Cinematic ClassicThe Great Gatsby is a challenge for any theatre group to produce. Set amidst the decadence of the Roaring Twenties, its themes of chasing the great American dream and lost love, make for high glamour and romance. With four film versions of the 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald novel already produced, the temptation is to go large or go home.
This September Epicentre Theatre Company brings The Great Gatsby to Pymble for its Sydney premiere. When budding Sydney director Jody Goodman sent an email to U.S. playwright Simon Levy she didn’t expect a response.
“Instead he responded almost immediately – and said: Thank you for reaching out. Please keep it simple.” The F. Scott Fitzgerald estate approved Levy’s stage script - after several years of negotiation. |
The Great Gatsby
Season Starting: Friday September 16 (click on "Upcoming Events" for exact times.) Address: Ku-ring-gai Town Hall, 1186 Pacific Hwy, Pymble 2073 |
The Great Gatsby’s gorgeous flapper characters and wild party scenes, not to mention vintage cars, were so vividly depicted in the 2013 Baz Luhrmann film (starring Leonardo Dicaprio as Jay Gatsby), it’s easy to see why Levy’s email meant so much to Goodman. She started to think outside the box:
To provide context, projected images would back up the action, and a short documentary on Prohibition would set the scene. Three permanent flats would imply the love triangle, and colour would emote different moods – blue for melancholy, and so on. “The Great Gatsby is poetic, and isn’t meant to be too literal.” Goodman explained. The two-tiered Ku-ring-gai Town Hall stage would house a large cast of characters, but much of the work was done before the set grew. For Goodman, who wanted to produce a classic play, it’s been a labour of love for about a year. For the actors, it’s been an intense three months. Neutral Bay actor Kate Gandy, 23, plays Daisy Buchanan, an economically privileged young woman with bipolar disorder, who is at the centre of the plot’s main love triangle. |
“Director Jody Goodman has a unique approach. It’s really personal, which is great, especially for Daisy who goes on an emotional rollercoaster.” Gandy said.
Brett Joachim, 35, of Willoughby, plays narrator Nick Carraway, who, as Daisy’s cousin, finds himself drawn into the intrigue.
Joachim described the production highlight as watching the cast coming together during the two weeks prior to this interview.
“It’s been a collaborative process…It’s nice to see the cast rise at the same time. You feel very safe in the assurance that by opening we’ve got it.”
The Great Gatsby plays September 16-October 8, 2016
Note: Every performance of The Great Gatsby is done in a cabaret-style setting with audiences invited to bring their own dinner picnics - BYO alcohol. On opening night audience members are also encouraged to dress up in Roaring Twenties costumes.
Epicentre Theatre Company is a registered not-for-profit organisation. Every production a percentage of money raised by ticket sales is donated to a charity. This season’s charity is Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s shelter.
Brett Joachim, 35, of Willoughby, plays narrator Nick Carraway, who, as Daisy’s cousin, finds himself drawn into the intrigue.
Joachim described the production highlight as watching the cast coming together during the two weeks prior to this interview.
“It’s been a collaborative process…It’s nice to see the cast rise at the same time. You feel very safe in the assurance that by opening we’ve got it.”
The Great Gatsby plays September 16-October 8, 2016
Note: Every performance of The Great Gatsby is done in a cabaret-style setting with audiences invited to bring their own dinner picnics - BYO alcohol. On opening night audience members are also encouraged to dress up in Roaring Twenties costumes.
Epicentre Theatre Company is a registered not-for-profit organisation. Every production a percentage of money raised by ticket sales is donated to a charity. This season’s charity is Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s shelter.
Performers and Crew
Nick Carraway
Jay Gatsby Daisy Buchanan Tom Buchanan Jordan Baker George Wilson Myrtle Wilson Wolfsheim Meyer/Chester McKee Mrs McKee/Mrs Michaelis Ensemble |
Brett Joachim
Adam Garden Kate Gandy Matthew Cook Heidi Baleisis Matthew Grasso Lauren Hollingworth Robert Sharpe Pam Ennor Erica Fergurson, Di Sampson, Sarah Markham |
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