“Welcome to the world of affluence and privilege in the roaring ‘20s,” Nick Carraway boasts in the opening scene of The Great Gatsby.
“Affluence” and “privilege” in the 1920s promised decadence: An era of speakeasies, jazz and the elusive American Dream. Nick, portrayed by Andrew Lemieux, embodies these principles in the University of Ottawa Theatre Club’s inaugural play. Donning a new money smirk and an element of arrogance, Nick sets the tone for a night of prestige and, eventually, murder.
Nick, a bond salesman, narrates the performance, observing the lives of Long Island’s mysterious millionaires. Nick reconnects with distant cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom, an old money couple living in a mansion across the bay. But Nick is most enamoured with next door neighbour, millionaire Jay Gatsby, whose lavish parties disguise a ceaseless love for Daisy.
While the simple staging offered minimal visual enhancement, the UOttawa Theatre Club’s rendition of Gatsby meticulously reflected the shallow lives of the characters. Directed by Sarah Cantin, the polished cast offered humour and earnestness instead of physical glitz and glamour when bringing the story to life.
That confidence melted into painful discomfort when his eyes glazed over and stared into nothingness whilst privy to the antics of his affluent peers. Nick’s emotional arc was enthralling to witness thanks to Lemieux’s rageful glares and bitter resentment.
Corgand Svendsen’s rendition of Jay Gatsby mixed millionaire suave with schoolboy enthusiasm, demonstrating a rapt understanding of Gatsby’s character. Svendsen portrayed a less stoic Gatsby without sacrificing his commandeering personality—his eyes conveyed anxiousness with a hint of manipulation as he begged Sabine Duknic’s Daisy to proclaim her love for him.
Svendsen’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes grew wide when sharing Gatsby’s meticulously-falsified backstory. But Svendsen also made sure to retain Gatsby’s charm, and his performance often shone brightest in subtler moments alongside Duknic.
With a light and dreamy voice while adorned in pale shades of pink, Duknic’s Daisy was gentle and profound. Duknic stooped over in subtle pain from the first mention of Gatsby’s name, but her demeanour and eyes shone with conflict when asked to choose between Gatsby and Richard Parson’s Tom.
Parson, though sometimes suffering a flat delivery with unconvincing anger, deadpanned many of his lines, which sprinkled humour into his otherwise mean-spirited character. His portrayal was most powerful when his implausible anger subsided and he turned to deceiving those around him.
Other renditions of Gatsby engulf the characters in lavish, over-the-top sets. But the brilliance of the uOttawa Theatre Club’s modest production lies in the actors’ performances.
Haileigh Simpson’s costume design carefully differentiated the earth-toned main cast from the darker-dressed ensemble.
Sorsha Perry’s simple set design, however, could have benefited from added colour, especially to accentuate Gatsby’s grandiose mansion parties. Gatsby’s signature Rolls-Royce painted in bright yellow was a visual stand-out, but the off-white loveseat, chairs and tablecloths did little to differentiate lavish parties from simple living rooms.
Some scenes and transitions were accompanied by soft piano notes—the kind of elevator jazz played at a dinner party as opposed to the lively, saxophone and trumpet blaring jazz associated with the 1920s. Still, the toned down melodies, some originally composed by head of musical direction Johevah Cobby, were a suitable musical backdrop to the posh elegance of high-class society.
UOttawa Theatre Club’s The Great Gatsby may not have been the flashy spectacle that comes to mind with the mention of its source material. Nonetheless, the talent and intention of its cast and crew was apparent, as they succeeded in showcasing the perfunctory lives of the wealthy during an iconic era in history.
The Great Gatsby ran at the Gladstone Theatre from Nov. 8 to 11. The uOttawa Theatre Club will be performing Heathers: The Musical in December. More information can be found here.
Featured image by Alexis Kuper.
