There are very few stories as pure as The Great Gatsby:
A visionary man pining over the love of his life and hosting parties every night in the hope that one day, she might deign to show up only to be ultimately betrayed is a story as modern as relatable.
The story is strong on its own. The main character is bold on his own. It certainly doesn’t need much to emerge and achieve perfection. Yet, despite countless productions and a very Leonardo di Caprio blockbuster, the Northern Ballet succeeds in doing the impossible by portraying an original, different and detailed interpretation of Fitzgerald’s most famous novel.
The storyline is clear, in the eyes of the spectator, the movements are there to tell you all about Nick Carraway’s detached perspective on his cousin Daisy and her superficial, light as a feather world and on the figure of Gatsby, the enigmatic Gatsby, the great Gatsby indeed.
The narrative is an explosion of choreographic fights, love scenes and several group dance performances that are there to make a long-lasting impression on you. It’s a world of colours, passions and nostalgia you cannot shake off and meant to keep you hypnotised for more than two hours.
My sister, who is a bit of an expert on Fitzgerald, said yesterday: “Note how most of the dance routines between Tom and his lover Myrtle are on the floor while the one between Gatsby and Daisy is a continuous lift towards the sky, that’s because the first is portrayed as a lowly love, while the second is a young, pure, almost ethereal kind of love.”
And true to that.
Something that I enjoyed was how the memories of Gatsby were performed on stage with a double act between young and old Gatsby dancing together. Something I would have loved to see more of is Daisy’s betrayal as she goes from being in love with Gatsby to be more than happy to let him take the fall for the murder.
Overall, it was a great night and what a pleasure to see a brilliant live Orchestra after two years of lockdown, a real treat indeed.
We truly recommend The Great Gatsby by The Northern Ballet.
For more details, please visit: https://newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/Online/tickets-the-great-gatsby-cardiff-2021
