I had high expectations of the Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby, and they were completely exceeded.
I saw the production at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, an outstanding venue.
The infamous dramatic storyline lends itself beautifully to the expressive art that is ballet. The love scenes in particular were incredibly sensual and vivid when articulated through dance.
Of course, when adapting a novel to another art form, how to adapt the text is always going to be a challenge. Admittedly, in the first act, some of the depth of plot and character was lost into a sea of slightly repetative choreography.
However, the second act progressed into a delightful array of scenes engaging the audience completely.
The pace jumped from a lively, fast paced scene, to an intimate moment between two dancers, working exceptionally well with two male characters, interacting with each other’s physicality perfectly.
In summary, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic story was brought to the stage in the form of ballet which encouraged a wider audience, and achieved an entirely authentic portrayal of character and atmosphere.
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE 