Theatre II students performed the stage adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby from March 7-8 in Hanes Theatre, rounding out the winter season.
The story, centered around Jazz Age millionaire Jay Gatsby and his hopeless fixation with Daisy Buchanan, his muse, offers a classic commentary on human love, greed and obsession.
In spite of the show’s adult themes, the younger cast tackled the themes of wealth and corruption with no holds barred.
Connor Lopez, who played Jay Gatsby, had never been in a stage production prior to the show. “[The Great Gatsby] was a bit daunting because I’ve never been in a situation like this, but you just push those feelings down and hope they don’t come bubbling back up onstage,” he said.
The story’s narrator, Nick Carraway, was portrayed by sophomore Louise Belser, who studied male mannerisms in order to convincingly portray the role of Gatsby’s neighbor and friend.
“I’ve been cast as a male several times, so I’ve gotten used to some of the physicalities,” Belser said. “Obviously, every guy is different, so that’s where the challenge lies.”
The show was performed in a black box setting, where audience members sit onstage as opposed to in the theater’s typical seating.
“Drago chose the black box setup to make the audience feel like they’re experiencing the events along with the actors,” junior Stella Hileman, the stage manager for the production, said. “Especially with the smaller crowds we were expecting, the black box made more sense for the clarity of the show.”
Despite initial expectations of selling 150 seats, the show sold out on both nights, doubling the expected ticket count.
“Ticket sales for The Great Gatsby were amazing,” said theater teacher Thomas Drago. “It’s the largest crowd we’ve ever had for a black box show.”
Due to the limited space, some audience members were forced to sit on the floor of the stage, as well as the balcony, to watch the production.
Junior Tabitha Hille enjoyed her viewing experience despite having to sit on the floor.
“The actors in Gatsby were great, and it was obvious they put a lot of thought into the show,” she said. “I was especially impacted when Myrtle got run over.”
Due to restrictions imposed by the spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors, which had started the rehearsal process at the same time as the show, technicians had just three days to build the set.
“We didn’t have a lot of time to get a set together, so we went with a minimalist design with only a few major set pieces,” Hileman said.
The show was junior Luna Murphy’s directorial debut. She emphasized the importance of forming connections with cast members as their director.
“Simply being on the same level as the actors and wanting to support them will ultimately have them reciprocate that,” Murphy said.
Chapel Hill’s next production, Little Shop of Horrors, will be staged from April 25-27.
