The very word GATSBY conjures up a world of 1920’s glamour and sophistication as portrayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s celebrated novel THE GREAT GATSBY, about a broken hearted playboy.Writer and director Linnie Reedman was highly praised for her musical adaptation, with music and lyrics by Joe Evans, when it premièred on the fringe a few years ago. She’s now seeking finance to produce it on a much bigger scale by showcasing it every Monday night this month at the Arts Theatre in the hope of attracting investors.
I really wish I hadn’t been asked to review is. As a theatre maker myself I applaud the endeavour but as a critic it’s my responsibility to advise you on whether it’s worth investing your time and money on seeing it.
If you’re interested in how musicals are developed and seeing them at a fledging stage before they're finessed it’s well worth a visit. However if you’re looking for a satisfying West End night out it’s a depressingly tatty affair.
A programme note, passed to critics on arrival, points out that the GATSBY team are working on top of THE AMERICAN IDIOT set and that they haven’t had time to rehearse the technical side. We’re warned that the presentation won’t do justice to designer Christopher Hone’s vision for the eventual production but even so, make an effort Christopher! The tacky bits of set are rubbish, the staging is feeble, based around a table, chairs and a sofa and although the girls look nice no one’s bothered to iron the mis-match of old clothes from various periods that the boys are wearing. When a designer doesn’t even know how to do stylishly minimal it doesn’t suggest the eventual set and costumes will be very good.
So that’s the downside. The good news is that the music’s played by a terrific 5 piece band called “Benoit Viellefon and his Orchestra” and sounds great although perhaps it’s a mistake to play classic 1920s songs before the show as the musical’s score can’t possibly measure up. It’s inoffensive and unmemorable, with basic June-Moon lyrics but it does have a sort of shimmer that evokes heat-hazed days gone by.
The really amazing news is that it’s such a fantastic cast. Although David Ricardo-Pearce can’t be bothered to shave for the occasion he’s excellent as the enigmatic, troubled multi-millionaire, Gatsby, who builds a palace to recapture his long lost love.
Matilda Sturridge is perfect as Daisy, the object of his affection, managing to convey the brittle beauty and the desperation of a young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. If she learns to take enough breath to deliver a line without fading away at the end she could be a real star.
Simon Bailey is so right as the boorish husband Tom Buchanan that he’s in danger of unbalancing the show by being much more charismatic and interesting then our intended narrator, Gatsby groupie, Nick Carraway (Sebastian Blunt, awkward in a nasty, ill fitting modern blazer) This effect is further compounded by Tom singing a second act song better suited to Nick’s character. The climatic quarrel between Tom and Gatsby over Daisy is truly gripping although it’s worth noting that this is a section unencumbered by song and straight from Fitzgerald’s writing.
However I wish the show was clearer as to who was driving Gatsby’s car during a fateful trip. A key plot point.
Let’s wish this team well in securing funding to do things bigger and better. It’s a story of excess and luxury that really needs a big stage and budget.
Mega-star West End and Broadway director Trevor Nunn was in the audience, perhaps he can take GATSBY to the level it deserves.
The screenwriter, playwright, novelist, journalist and political reactionary, Ben Hecht was an extraordinary man.