The combination of F. Scott Fitzgerald's sinuous prose and clever staging help turn the marathon reading of “The Great Gatsby” into a memorable theatrical event.
The company behind the production, New York-based Elevator Repair Service, has been working on the project since 1999, trying to find the right way to bring non-theatrical material to the stage without going the adaptation route. The result is GATZ, now playing at Redcat in downtown L.A. in a production that runs just short of nine hours (with brief but welcome breaks for food and drink).
ERS's 13-person ensemble reads every single word of Fitzgerald's classic novel, including all the "he saids" and "she saids." It's not a straight reading, though. There is a set, a grungy warehouse office, circa 1980 -- the very opposite of the lush, ultra-romantic world depicted in Fitzgerald's Jazz Age novel. After some silent business involving a balky computer, one of the office workers (Scott Shepherd) pulls out a copy of The Great Gatsby and begins reading out loud from it. Soon he takes on the persona of the book's narrator, Nick Carraway, an act which inspires his co-workers to follow suit. Before long they begin to flesh out Fitzgerald's raffish characters -- Daisy and Tom Buchanan (Victoria Vazquez and Robert Cucuzza, respectively); Tom's mistress Myrtle (Laurena Allan); Nick's girlfriend Jordan (Susie Sokol); and, above all, Gatsby himself (Ross Fletcher). The ensemble stays in character after that, except for brief returns to the office reality.
Director John Collins also punctuates the action with quirky visual, lighting and aural effects; he also uses a sound track and music in unexpected ways, no doubt to surprise the audience, keep it guessing. Above all, though, he and his company focus on the text, making sure it is spoken and acted well, also thoroughly understood and felt, as befits Fitzgerald's intriguing novel of manners.
Text, acting and production blend seamlessly and help turn this unusual interpretation of “The Great Gatsby” into a bold tour de force.
