Gatsby: The Musical – Civic Theatre – Review

Presented By: Break-A-Leg Productions
Duration: 120 minutes. One Interval
Age Suitability: 12+. Contains some strong language.

Welcome to the Jazz Age, in this new Musical based on the much-loved novel. Our main protagonist Nick Carraway rents a small bungalow in Long Island for the summer. It is located beside a mansion owned by the mysterious Gatsby. After a chance encounter, he is invited to a party at the mansion where he talks to Gatsby. Slowly, he is drawn into Gatsby’s world as he starts to see what drives this unusual character.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1925) received generally favourable reviews upon its release but was initially a commercial failure, selling less than 23,000 copies in its first year. It would be fair to say it has done well since and now is widely considered one of the Great American Novels. It has also spawned a number of cinematic adaptations such as The Great Gatsby (2013) which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and was directed by Baz Luhrmann. There have also been a number of theatrical adaptations of the novel, including ‘The Great Gatsby’ in the Gate Theatre in 20017 which starred a little-known actor by the name of Paul Mescal!

This production aims to recreate “the raucous and romantic heady days of the Jazz Age in 1922” and the music is enjoyable with a large band on stage performing throughout, with piano, guitar, violin, drums and even a small brass section. It felt like the musical score of a film from that era and was performed at quite a clip, keeping the plot moving.

This was an entertaining production, but it had a few teething problems. The production was a ‘concert performance’ so there was minimal staging to set the scene. Also, the lyrics were often lost amongst the noise from the band, so it was difficult to follow the plot. Thankfully, most of those watching would be familiar with the storyline so it was not a major issue.

One of the most surprising things about this production is the amount of work that went into it. Musicals are one of the most labour-intensive art forms and are usually developed over a long time by well-resourced production companies. This is clearly an immense labour of love for the composer/lyricist Peter Beckett and his team. It was all the more surprising as this was performed for one night only at the Civic Theatre! It deserves to be seen by a wider audience for the hard work and skill of all those involved.

Find out more about this production of Gatsby: The Musical here.