Gatsby gives theatre a novel twist

Theatre
The Great Gatsby
Manoel Theatre

Exploring subjects like infidelity, infatuation and mind-games in relationships was considered rather risqué in the roaring 1920s.

All sorts of indiscretions were taking place with the implicit consent of the general population that what happened behind closed doors was fine as long as it wasn’t aired out in public.

Allowing transgression as long as it wasn’t obvious, made nimbys of many and is often portrayed as being hypocritical, but one must consider the implications of liberal actions when it came to sex and relationships at the time.

For wealth and power were more strongly based on reputation and public perception than today.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald was brave enough to tackle these issues in his classic work of early 20th century American literature, The Great Gatsby, where nobody is immune to the complications which life throws at them. While some characters come off worse than others, all have a brush with morality which leaves them questioning themselves and their motives.

Tour De Force Theatre Company’s production of The Great Gatsby, adapted for a cast of five and directed by Peter Jocula, proved that even in the face of adversity, a well-prepared cast can overcome any odds which are thrown at them.

Their touring company arrived in Malta only to find that the majority of their luggage had been lost and consequently put up the play with none of the original props and costumes they were used to.

The basic set, consisting of pre-designed wooden boxes was the only element which had been previously prepared for them by the theatre and they quickly adapted to borrowed costumes and minimal props which they could get at very short notice.

If I had not been informed beforehand, I wouldn’t have noticed that anything was amiss – a testament to their professionalism and adaptability. With musical arrangements by Roger Moon and musical direction also under the multi-talented Jocula, the performance provided brief interims of flapper-style music to lighten the complexity and more sober elements of the plot. With a fast-paced and well-coordinated cast who showed their versatility, not just in character interpretation and doubling due to the multiple roles they played, but also in the more technical aspects of their craft, the play was successful.

It put across the ambivalence of the moral codes in prohibitionist America.

Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and lonely man who allegedly made his fortune as a bootlegger reunites with his erstwhile love Daisy through his new friendship with his neighbour Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy’s and friend to her husband Tom Buchanan. Their illicit but increasingly evident affair observed by Nick and Jordan, a close friend of Daisy’s, causes friction between the domineering Tom, who hypocritically has a very blatant affair of his own.

Charlie Kerson’s Nick was credibly conflicted in his divided loyalties between the Buchanans and his new friend Gatsby. Nick’s disillusionment in his relationship with the Buchanans was an emotional element which Mr Kerson managed to convey masterfully. Gatsby, also came across as one of the more strongly-developed characters and was played sensitively by Andrew John Tait, who interestingly also doubled for Wilson – the man who ultimately shoots and kills Gatsby on the instigation of Tom Buchanan.

The latter, played by John Berry portrayed his misguided and rather selfish motivations rather well, dominating the women in his life – both wife and lover with a certain irritating arrogance. I found Kathryn Duffy’s Daisy to be rather more flighty than was required; however, her portrayal of Lucille Mckee had just the right amount of crass vulgarity to fit the scene perfectly.

Sharlit Deyzac was too shrill and shallow as Myrtle, Tom Buchanan’s lover who is accidentally killed when a distraught Daisy runs over her, but gave a great interpretation of the level-headed, free-thinking Jordan.

As an exploration of the social morays of the 1920s, Tour De Force’s version of The Great Gatsby was an engaging if rather heavy adaptation of a morally divisive novel and was done rather well

From a technical perspective, the production was flawlessly executed but the overall effect somehow failed to impress me as much as I had hoped it would.