THE GREAT GATSBY

OVO at the Roman Theatre

★★

“has some interesting ideas but currently falls short on delivery”

The Great Gatsby is a tale of the hollowness of Jazz Age America. Unfortunately, the wrong kind of hollowness comes through in this outdoor musical adaptation despite the cast’s best efforts.

Staged in the expansive OVO Roman Theatre, this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel is reimagined as a cabaret show in the ‘Green Light Club’. With cabaret performers Texas, Gus, Belle and Helen narrating and performing, expect a slightly different version of events as Gatsby’s blind determination to reclaim his lost love, Daisy, is met with fatal consequences.

Adapted and produced by Mark O’Sullivan, the writing shines brightest when it sticks to the source material. Otherwise, several narrative choices hamper rather than enhance the storytelling. The cabaret setting doesn’t land: it isn’t always clear when the new characters are narrating versus performing, and having them narrate instead of Nick (even though he’s in the room) removes his much-needed critique. I know it’s a cabaret but why is a magician telling Gatsby’s backstory? Why does the explosive climax start out as a silent movie? This. plus moving key moments around, such as Daisy’s devastating hopes for her daughter, completely change the tone and lessen their emotional impact. Some of the writing even feels a little clumsy, such as Jordan asking Nick to lunch while standing over a dead body, an overly blunt expression of coolness. The result is a rather confusing mishmash of story beats which doesn’t quite do the iconic plot justice.

Kelly Ann Stewart’s direction brings out some strong performances but also has its flaws. For example, the blocking needs work, obscuring the words to the all-important silent movie. Just before Gatsby meets his fate, he walks into Wilson’s garage which hasn’t existed in Gatsby’s world until now. Ryan Munroe’s simple choreography could be more sharply executed, leaving the cabaret scenes feeling a little lacklustre. Perhaps the most confusing moment in the piece comes when Nathan French, playing both Gatsby and Wilson, has to quick change between the two, necessitating a drawn-out cover by an excessively slow-moving bullet (clearly drawn from Hamilton by the way) during what should be the dramatic climax.

Musical Director and pianist Andrew McCormack tries to bring out the roaring twenties but the choice and locations of several songs interrupt the flow. Some feel jarring and undo the emotional tension, such as Gatsby bursting into ‘I Got Rhythm’, the cast singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Nick, and ‘This Little Light of Mine’ opening Act 2. In fact, only one song adds to the plot, a drunken, mournful song from a female reveller during one of Gatsby’s parties.

The costumes (Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell and Thea Peacock) sometimes obscure where we are and lack cohesion, especially in the club scenes. Hannah Stanley’s sound is well designed but not always well executed, missing several mic cues. Caitlin MacGregor’s lighting creates some very dramatic moments but could separate the club from the main story more effectively. Simon Nicholas’ set design effectively creates different spaces, my favourite being Dr Eckleburg’s otherworldly eyes glowing in the distance.

The cast’s acting is this production’s saving grace. French skilfully contrasts Gatsby’s superficial coolness against Wilson’s crudeness and even manages to subtly let Gatsby’s mask slip. Rochelle Jack brings out a full spectrum of emotions in her stripped-down Myrtle, with a rich singing voice to boot. Jonathan Tynan-Moss’ Nick is perfectly naive and knowing, delivering a moving performance. Though the standout is Jessica Vickers’ Daisy, a mesmerising kaleidoscope of honest and affected emotions with an impressive singing voice to match.

Overall, this production has some interesting ideas but currently falls short on delivery. Future versions would benefit from refocusing the cabaret more clearly around the plot and considering the choice and timing of musical numbers to keep building the emotional pressure. These adjustments would help this capable cast shine as brightly as that elusive green light.

THE GREAT GATSBY

OVO at the Roman Theatre

Reviewed on 11th August 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Elliott Franks

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ROMEO AND JULIET | ★★★ | June 2023

THE GREAT GATSBY

★★★

“Fans of F Scott Fitzgerald and afficionados of ‘The Great Gatsby’ will not be disappointed”

‘On Air’ productions have become a popular staple of Theatre Royal, Windsor over the past few years, with their adaptations of classics read in an authentic studio setting, The style is that of a vintage radio drama, complete with live sound effects, replicating the medium that reached its height in the 1930s and 1940s. The atmosphere is authentically recreated for the latest production of F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, “The Great Gatsby”, even if we are a bit unsure of which decade of the twentieth century we are entering. The (uncredited) set design is a gorgeous period concoction, more H G Wells than the Jazz Age, onto which the cast assemble as though stumbling out of one of Jay Gatsby’s all-nighters on Long Island.

Foley Artist (Martin Carroll) urges the ensemble to take their positions at the microphones while the Greenwich Time Signal counts down with its pips and the ‘On Air’ sign flickers. There is little, if any, preamble except for a few bars of Sophie Burke’s ragtime soundtrack at the piano. It is a shame as a hint of the dynamics between the cast and crew ‘off air’ would have lifted the show from its resemblance to a rehearsed reading, albeit a faithful and accomplished retelling of the story. Roy Marsden’s staging coasts in a no man’s land where not enough visual concessions are made for a theatre audience.

We all know the story, narrated from the point of view of Nick Carraway – Gatsby’s neighbour during the summer of 1922 – told in the first person. George Banks takes on the mantle to steer us through the narrative. A calm and articulate presence, Banks shifts from the role of narrator to that of his character within the action but makes no alteration in his delivery between the two. With the exception of Carley Stenson’s rich voiced Daisy Buchanan and Charlie Clements’ imposing Tom Buchanan, the rest of the cast double up. Eva O’Hara is a delightfully tipsy, party-loving Lucille but slightly flat as cheating, celebrity golfer Jordan Baker. Holly Smith successfully conveys Myrtle Wilson’s frustrated social status with her musical Bronx twang, cutting to a crisp RP for her minor cameos. Forgive me for any discrepancies as the programme credits don’t necessarily match what is unfolding onstage.

Barnaby Tobias, in the ‘great’ eponymous role appears to be a late replacement, but he has the strongest grasp of characterisation, peeling away the often-misplaced enigma that is Gatsby, to reveal the fast-talking, jittery awkwardness of a man out of his depth. Doubling as garage owner George Wilson he matches Smith’s ability to switch dialect on a dime.

Much of the playing space is given over to the collection of devices at Carroll’s disposal for the live soundscape. Like the overall theatrical concept, it is underused, and like the overall production, tricks have been missed and temptations for innovation have been resisted. We are left with the nagging question of the purpose of the exercise, especially with a story so iconic and recognised. It does, however, work well as a nostalgia piece but even then, it spurns the opportunity for experimentation that the breakthrough in radio drama originally offered nearly a century ago. There is a laziness that runs through, underlined by the dayglo highlighted markings incongruously splashed on the actors’ scripts. Weakening the sense of period it also heightens the feeling that we are guests at a reading.

Fans of F Scott Fitzgerald and afficionados of ‘The Great Gatsby’ will not be disappointed. Marsden’s adaptation is lovingly faithful to the book, but on the page only, which is where it remains in this interpretation, not quite making the journey to the stage in the style Jay Gatsby would have liked to arrive in.

Tag Archives: F. Scott Fitzgerald

THE GREAT GATSBY

★★

OVO at the Roman Theatre

THE GREAT GATSBY

OVO at the Roman Theatre

★★

“has some interesting ideas but currently falls short on delivery”