Review: THE GREAT GATSBY, OVO St Albans
Photo credit: Elliott Franks
Against the beautiful, if slightly drizzly, backdrop of the Roman outdoor theatre, we are invited into a speakeasy cabaret to hear the story of the enigmatic Jay, in this OVO production of The Great Gatsby.
Set in 1929, a little later than the original text, we are treated to numbers such as ‘Get Happy’, ‘Ain’t We Got Fun’ and a hauntingly good rendition of ‘This Little Light of Mine’, with talented pianist Andrew McCormack setting the vibe as the audience are regaled with stories of the great Jay Gatsby in this dramatic tale of love, yearning, old money, new money, and a heap of social commentary which remains uncomfortably relevant 100 years after it was first written.
Gatsby is a story about a story, a really detailed one. It’s packed with narrative, it’s big. Possibly a little too big for just six people to tell, but the cast work incredibly hard and just about manage to pull it off. At times, the flitting between characters, details, locations, outfits and accents feels a little too packed. The added overlay of the Wall Street crash on an already detailed narrative adds a layer of complexity which is not really needed, but OVO are known to do an impressive job of reworking classics whilst keeping true to the original stories, breathing new life into old tales. Here, that means that some of the key plot points are overshadowed by background details, resulting in a lack of depth at points, but thanks to the skilful cast, we are kept on track as the tale of Gatsby unfolds.
The whole cast is strong: Jessica Vickers delivers a powerful vocal alongside an incredible arsenal of accents; Jonathan Tynan-Moss commands the stage with ease as our unreliable narrator, his speech set to drums in the second half is incredibly impressive; David Joseph Healy is convincingly unpleasant, and switches well between characters, clearly enjoying the pockets of respite from the menacing Tom; Monica Sharp is refreshingly bright, and brings an Angela Lansbury-style humour and grace to proceedings; Rochelle Jack delivers power vocal after power vocal; and Nathan French as our Gatsby is outstanding, with honeyed vocals and a disarming charm. It’s unfortunate that he plays more than one part, as the mystery of Gatsby is somewhat lost given we had already seen French on stage a number of times before he is introduced as Jay. However, the dual-role is taken advantage of in a spectacular way later on in the show.
Simon Nicholas’ set is stunning, with the Green Light Club and Wilson’s Garage standing proud against the night sky. With most of the action taking place centre stage, the set is not used to its full advantage, but props are used very creatively to transport us around West and East Egg, on foot, in cars, and even by horse.
OVO’s Gatsby takes you on a jam-packed, drama filled ride, as this stellar cast deliver a bold and glitzy performance not to be missed.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Cara Brazier
The Great Gatsby plays at OVO St Albans until 24 August, with further info here.