By Jennifer Beasley.
A bold and daring reimagining of The Great Gatsby via ballet, jazz ballet and tap dance, invites the audience to dress up in their best flapper gear and experience the flamboyant 1920’s.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third novel, The Great Gatsby, written in 1925, was not considered a success when first released, and it was only after his death that the book was viewed as the Great American Novel.
A tragedy, the story is told through the eyes of the Narrator, Nick Carraway, a relative of flighty Daisy Buchanan and married to the wealthy philandering Tom Buchanan, whose sexy mistress Myrtle Wilson suffers in poverty. Enter Jay Gatsby, nouveau riche, who reignites passion that had begun during WW1 with Daisy. Nick is the catalyst, reintroducing Daisy that draws Gatsby into the careless and cruel lives of the uber rich and sets the wheels turning for disaster and death.
To transcribe this tale into the frenetic energy of dance is the undertaking of the Big Live director and choreographer Joel Burke, who came to prominence with The Nutcracker. The strength of this ballet is centred around the tender pas de deux between Gatsby, danced by Ervin Zagidullin, and Daisy, whose tenderness and fragility is wonderfully expressed by Abbey Hanson, who is beautifully cast as the fragile yet manipulative Daisy. This pas de deux is repeated in the second act (pity a spotlight wasn’t utilised here as it’s an important moment), as Gatsby tries to reconnect with Daisy, yet she retreats to the vast unearned wealth of her husband, Tom.
The voiceover of the Narrator, when it is not drowned out by the music, tends to take over, and detracts from the exquisite movement on stage. Yet I applaud this creative move, and I felt that the exposition from the Narrator could have been edited to a shorter form. This is a ballet with other dance elements and voiceover. It doesn’t need to be the other way around, which muddies the dance momentum.
In terms of theme this production is on track, with the glorious costumes by a remarkable Sophia Drakos that allows the performers to move freely yet remain ultra glamorous, and the perfectly designed sets that demonstrate the excesses of the Jazz Age (a term coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald) by Ben Hambling. I think my favourite is the bar set and then over the top party scene. So fabulous. The music ranged from sublime to some offbeat thematic expressions. Yet again I commend Jason Fernandez on being bold with his choices.
I need to bring attention to the remarkable performance of Mia Zanardo as the sexy mistress Myrtle Wilson of Tom Buchanan. Blazing in red, Zanardo fires up the stage and injects the right amount of sass to the grind of the saxophone that jazzes in the background. The steamy dance with Joel Burke as Tom is a brilliant counterpoint to the tender coupling of Daisy and Gatsby, whose slow adagio touches the heart. Burke’s core control is phenomenal, as his controlling behaviour and careless treatment of women are powerfully expressed with his passionate allegro done with sharpness and style. Great acting ability too.
Ethan Mrmacovski as Nick nearly steals every scene he is in. Beautiful control, with graceful arm movements and flowing leaps, his dance style and choreography encapsulate his ‘observer’ role as the moral compass, and his despair of the downward materialistic slide of his cousin Daisy, her callous treatment of Gatsby and the lack of responsibility of the Buchanan’s is expressed with his static poses, arms outreached. I could feel his anguish from my seat. Stunning.
The role of Jordan Baker is superbly danced by Giselle Osborne, who is the feminine observer to Nick. Objective, detached, she refuses to be drawn into any personal involvement, embedding the thematic statement of wealth equal carelessness. Her arabesque is strong and lean. A powerful dancer who is destined to shine in more advanced roles.
The lighting by Steven May adds layers and textures which deepens the Jazz Era feel. I particularly loved the floor parquet effect, and the AV was so lifelike I felt the New York vibe. The green light, a symbol of Gatsby yearning for acceptance is somewhat distracting, and unless you know the story might not be necessary for this production.
Wonderful pacing means that I didn’t look at my watch at all, however, perhaps slightly too fast at the end, when its sudden closure truncated the grief that Nick was expressing.
The performance invites the audience to dress up to celebrate the decadence and excess of the 1920’s and the stunning Her Majesty’s Theatre is the perfect place to indulge in a beautiful production that is bold, sexy and stylish with ballet, jazz and tap-dancing sequences.
A lovely way to while away a glamourous evening and my companion and I were pleased to attend. Treat yourself and live the experience!
The Great Gatsby – A Jazz Odyssey is playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre, 7:00pm (matinees on Saturday and Sunday) until 27th March 2026.
