The Great Gatsby

Two weeks before I had had a rather enjoyable second date. So soon after, we started planning a third. We would be in the Chester area again, which is less good for outdoor exploits, but better for anything cultural. And we settled on an open air performance of the Great Gatsby. 

We took our seats in good time, and had pizza from the local caterer. And quite early on, a lot of the actors came out, and started playing a bit of jazz, and doing a little jig. It brought everyone into the right mood! And they all looked marvellous in their period costumes.

It also didn't look like rain. That was good! The forecast hadn't been overly promising, so I had full waterproofs with me. But I would not need them at all.

Then the play began. I was familiar with the story as I had a read the book a few decades ago. I didn't matter! I loved just watching the story unfold in front of me. And I must say; if you read the book, you have to make up the costumes and the music and the parties and the dancing in your head, and I am a bit limited in my capability of picturing that in style. And here I didn't have to! 

Early on in the performance (so no Gatsby yet); Tom Buchanan in the chair, Nick Carraway on the right, and also no Daisy yet. Later I was too immersed to take pictures. 

I thought it was an excellent performance. Some characters were a bit exaggerated, but I expected that. It had struck me as the sort of theatre where they do that. But I didn't find it distracting at all. And I loved the effortless cool of the actor who played Gatsby. I suppose it may very well have been an effortlessly cool actor who played a character who makes a concerted effort to look cool, but also to make it look an effortless. Complicated!

All the other actors were excellent as well! And I suppose Jordan was also effortlessly cool. And there is a lot of straining in the others, because that is the story. Tom Buchanan was played as a downright oaf. But he gets some redemption later, of course.

Almost all of the actors also played an instrument and/or sang, and almost all the musicians also acted. A bunch of multitalents!

The story ends sad, of course. But after the final scene, all actors (also those whose character had died) came back on for a last little dance. So everyone left cheerful anyway.

I thought it had been a brilliant production! I think it had been an excellent choice for our third date. I’ll write about the rest of the date in the next post…