THE GREAT GATSBY at St Paul’s Church

★★★

“Tethered Wits do deliver with what is clearly a grand night out”

There are few novels of which both the opening and closing lines are instantly recognisable, even by those who haven’t read the book. F Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is probably at the top of that list. So famous now that ‘Gatsby’ has entered the English language and taken on a life of its own, with meanings that have often drifted away from its origins. ‘Tethered Wits’, the Cotswold based open air touring company, have grabbed the title and are respectfully putting it back where it belongs, with their faithful and solid interpretation of the iconic novel. With just five actors in the cast, they focus on the characters. A group of flawed, tragic and careless people caught in the American Dream. Simultaneously chasing it and trapped by it. “The Great Gatsby” is not all about the parties.

Having said that, it opens with a party. After sampling the cocktails in the grounds of St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, we are now seated under Gatsby’s summer sky, in concentric semicircles, as though at a wedding. After a burst of trombone and saxophone, Nick Carraway (Oliver Stockley) introduces himself and invites us into the story. Told through Carraway’s eyes in the novel, Stockley is now unwittingly the master of ceremonies; a little bewildered, slightly goofy, but with a world-weary wisdom drawn from hindsight.

The other four performers play many parts. They each have their principal role, but with deft use of the smallest prop or costume accessory, they waltz in and out of the minor characters. Sometimes fleeting, but each integral to steering the story to its inevitable end. Being so familiar with the novel it is difficult to say for sure; but newcomers (where have you been?) may be thrown into confusion occasionally. But let’s not forget that when the novel was published in 1925 it was generally panned, and Fitzgerald himself complained that “of all the reviews… not one had the slightest idea what the book was about”. A knee-jerk and self-inflated reaction, perhaps, but it gives you licence to occasionally lose track, so don’t worry.

Emma Hodgkinson’s pacey adaptation covers the key plotlines, and keeping Nick Carraway as the narrator allows the beauty of Fitzgerald’s eloquent prose to remain largely intact. Whenever it gets too close to exposition, the players interrupt and take over. As Gatsby, Rory Dulku – despite the requisite (though always misjudged) matinee idol looks – captures the nervousness and social awkwardness of this obsessive personality. He also plays George Wilson, the down-trodden garage owner. It is a risky doubling that could prove problematic, but Dulku successfully compartmentalises them. Olivia Willis as Daisy Buchanan and Amelia Stanimeros as Jordan Baker confidently twist through the story, almost like a triple-threat double act. With their background in dance, they both add rhythm and scale to the party scenes. Stanimeros also plays Myrtle Wilson, the tragic mistress of Tom Buchanan. Deakin Van Leeuwen’s Tom is an imposing, bullying figure – a touch too thuggish which conceals the innate sense of privilege. The showdown over Daisy between him and Gatsby, however, is impressive. Dulku’s reaction (forged by his facial expressions alone) when Van Leeuwen clearly touches a nerve is pretty spot on.

Overall, the production treads a safe path. The comedy is hinted at when required and the tragedy is faithfully represented (you all know it ends badly, right?). The darkness doesn’t quite shine through though (I’m sure that’s an oxymoron of which Fitzgerald would approve). We never fully appreciate the price these people have paid for chasing unattainable dreams. The “future that year by year recedes before us”. Fitzgerald’s novel is ultimately a sad and melancholic meditation on the lost promise of the American Dream. But – hey – some razzamatazz is called for, and it is what people expect when they think of Gatsby. Tethered Wits do deliver with what is clearly a grand night out. Maybe not as grand as one of Gatsby’s parties, but who has Gatsby’s budget these days?

The Great Gatsby

★★★

St Paul’s Church

THE GREAT GATSBY at St Paul’s Church

★★★

“Tethered Wits do deliver with what is clearly a grand night out”