The talented performers who will inhabit the famous roles from the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald in Sydney’s newest immersive theatre experience have been announced.
An original, immersive production inspired by the novel, The Great Gatsby will open next month in a specially designed, stylish labyrinth at Wonderland Bar, Potts Point.
Nick Carroway, a naïve young man from Minnesota and the narrator of the story, will be played by Ryan Hodson (Coram Boy, Bell Shakespeare’s The Players). The fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby, who lives in a Gothic mansion in West Egg and is famous for the lavish parties he throws every Saturday night, will be played by recent WAPPA Graduate Jay Peardon.
Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin and the woman Gatsby loves, is Jessica Redmayne (TV’s 800 Words, Wentworth), while Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s immensely wealthy husband, will be Joshua Ralph McElroy (Spring Awakening, Cusp). Hannah Raven (The Judas Kiss, As You Like It) will play Daisy’s friend Jordan Baker, a competitive golfer who represents one of the ‘new women’ of the 1920’s.
Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s lover, will be played by burlesque star Alicia Rose Quinn (Three in a Bed, The Mad Hatters Tea Party) and Myrtle’s husband George, the lifeless, exhausted owner of a run-down auto shop, will be Cody Ross (You Got Older, ABC’s Janet King).
Meyer Wolfsheim, Gatsby’s friend and a prominent figure in organized crime, will be played by Adam Di Martino (Aladdin, Wind in the Willows). Completing the cast are Kristina McNamara (Chicago, West Side Story) and Sebastian Nelson (Rent, Beauty and the Beast).
This ensemble of brilliantly talented Australian actors will offer audiences the opportunity to experience the story of Gatsby as they have never seen it before. Expect secret rendezvous, dramatic confrontations, bootleg gin and a party that only Gatsby could throw.
The audience inhabits the character of Nick Carraway, as he tells a tragic love story. Midwest native Nick arrives in 1922 New York in search of the American dream. A would-be writer, he moves in next-door to millionaire Jay Gatsby and across the bay from his cousin Daisy and her philandering husband, Tom.
Nick becomes drawn into the captivating world of the wealthy and, as he bears witness to their illusions and deceits, pens a tale of impossible love, dreams, and tragedy.
A fable of the Jazz Age, of enchantment and illusion, of a world where love and dreams are pursued and betrayed, this immersive adaption of the much-loved story has been created to blur the boundaries of conventional theatre.
It will allow audiences to explore and immerse themselves into the world of The Great Gatsby through a choose-your-own-adventure-style production that will make everyone’s experience personal and unique.
“This is going to be a theatre production like no other,” said Producer Aaron Robuck. “With only 40 audience members per performance, everyone will explore the world of Gatsby up-close and personal in their own individual way. A real rollercoaster ride guided by the classic story and complex characters.”
Director: Beth Daly | Featuring: Ryan Hodson, Adam Di Martino, Joshua Ralph McElroy, Kristina McNamara, Sebastian Nelson, Jay Peardon, Alicia Rose Quinn, Hannah Raven, Jessica Redmayne, Cody Ross | Production Designer: Brendan de la Hay | Stage Manager: Jayden Muir | Writer/Producer: Aaron Robuck | Executive Producer: Aden Levin
The Great Gatsby
Wonderland Bar, 24 Bayswater Road, Potts Point
Season: 18 February – 26 June 2022
Information and Bookings: www.explorehidden.com
Image: The Great Gatsby – photo by Aaron Lyon