Review: The Great Gatsby - Storyhouse Open Air Theatre

F. Scott Fitzgerald's hedonistic novel has been adapted into many different forms and formats since its 1925 release. The first theatrical adaptation came only a year after the novel was published, and it has enjoyed versions created for mediums as diverse as ballet, radio, and graphic novels since.

Chester's Storyhouse take over Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre each year, and this year The Great Gatsby invites audiences to join their 'swellegant party'. Admiteddley, an attempt to recreate the opulence of 1920's Jazz-era New York in the centre of a park during a rainy British summer would have been rather a tall order, so this production wisely chose to focus on the dilapidated feel of the 'valley of ashes' where Myrtle and Tom Wilson live as the main set-design, and bring the luxurious atmosphere of West Egg to life through music, movement, costume, and lighting.

Rather than the titular role, the main character of The Great Gatsby is Nick Carraway, who serves as a narrator, guide, and onlooker throughout the peice. Ably played here by Thomas Cotran, he succeeds in bringing empathy and life to a character who could easily become merely a mouthpeice or placeholder for the action. Barely leaving the stage throughout the performance he was the perfect down-to-earth opposition to Daniel Burke's Jay Gatsby. A slightly unplaceable accent maybe only added to the character's mystique, and, again, the actor brought a certain humanity to a potentially cold or aloof character. In particular the scene between the two men as Gatsby revealed the truth behind the fairy-tales spun around his origins, was powerfully played.

Other moments that stood out include Laurie Jamieson and Alice Lyburd, as Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, hosting a sweltering party in a dingy New York apartment, and Matthew Ganley's emotional performance as George Wilson comes to precisely the wrong conclusion (a scene played beautifully in tandem as Nick and Gatsby also have a heart-t0-heart).

Musical interludes and set pieces, played and sung mostly by members of the talented cast added to the atmosphere and scene-setting, effectively immersing the audience into the 1920's - literally in some instances as audience members were brought up to be party guests!

I felt as though some of the characters were slightly overplayed, which jarred a little against some of the more nuanced performances, and the pace felt a bit sluggish in parts as the story does require lots of exposition. However it was an enjoyable evening, and we were very lucky that the ubiquitous rain this summer held off for a few hours. My friends and I enjoyed some cakes and champagne as we watched, and the sun set in time with the gathering darkness of the story.