Gatz - Noel Coward Theatre (Albery)
Pro reviewers average
2013-05-23
A remarkable re-enactment of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece The Great Gatsby. An epic 8-hour theatrical experience, including extended break.
‘The most remarkable achievement in theatre not only of this year but also of this decade.&rsquo...
A remarkable re-enactment of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece The Great Gatsby. An epic 8-hour theatrical experience, including extended break.
‘The most remarkable achievement in theatre not only of this year but also of this decade.’
New York Times
‘One of the few ovations for which I have unreservedly stood...’
Independent
Show Details
| Running dates | from Jun 8 2012 to Jul 15 2012 |
| Theatre | Noel Coward Theatre (Albery) |
| Pro Average | |
| Peer Average | |
| My Rating | Review This Show |
| Cheapest ticket | £28 |
| Most expensive ticket | £65 |
| Libby Purves (The Times) | Full Review | |
| Michael Coveney (What's on Stage, Independent) | Full Review | |
| Henry Hitchings (Evening Standard) | Full Review | |
| Caroline McGinn (Time Out) | Full Review | |
| Dominic Cavendish (The Telegraph) | Full Review | |
| Michael Billington (The Guardian) | Full Review | |
| Ian Shuttleworth (Financial Times) | Full Review |
| Steven Rayner | ||
| Hannah Williams | ||
| Cabe Franklin | A remarkable experiment that succeeds. It may be that you need to be fond of the book to feel this is a five-star show, but for my money, any theatrical enterprise that tries something entirely new and achieves the desired result deserves to be seen. Scott Shepherd and the rest of the company, Elevator Repair Service, read and eventually begin to act out scenes from The Great Gatsby: this is the whole of it, and the desired result is just that; not to 'put on a play of The Great Gatsby' but to speak every single word of it. This discrete goal, which this cast has been achieving together for several years now, gives the cast a certain freedom to underact, and to slowly come to inhabit their characters over the course of several hours. This works to make the characters more beliveable and relatable than if they had sprung vividly and fully-formed to life in Act 1 Scene 1 - or in this case, Page 1. Similarly the actors themselves are not cast physically to type - you would expect Gatsby to be a younger man, and Tom Buchanan a brawnier one. But this enables the actors to become their characters through gesture and physicality rather than relying solely on looks, which makes you appreciate their understated skill. A unique experience. (Five stars also for the seats at the Noel Coward Theatre, which may be the only ones in London that still feel comfortable after several hours of sitting.) | |
| Moloch |
Overview, Cast and Creatives
| Genre | Drama | |
| Synopsis | ||
| A remarkable re-enactment of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece The Great Gatsby. An epic 8-hour theatrical experience, including extended break.
‘The most remarkable achievement in theatre not only of this year but also of this decade.’
‘One of the few ovations for which I have unreservedly stood...’ |
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| Director | John Collins | |
| Company | Elevator Repair Service | |
| Featured Actors/Actresses | Scott Shepherd | |