At curtain call, I was so emotional that if I were to let go, I would have wept and wept and wept. I was so moved by the simple audacity of Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz – a reading and wonderfully imaginative stage of the entirety of F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I read the classic back in 11th grade. I remember liking it, but haven’t read it since.
This production fully embodies what it’s like to lose yourself in a book. Like our protagonist who slowly begins reading the book while at work, the world around us starts to change as we lose ourselves into Fitzgerald’s lovely prose. Imagination is a profoundly powerful thing – not only does Elevator Repair Service captures the feeling of letting imagination take over, the ensemble also manage to make the words come to life. With a delightful mixture of self-reflexivity and truth to the text, Gatz is a wonderful homage to the written word and showcases the power of theatre.
The 8-hour long day flew by. Every time my friend and I left the theatre during intervals and for the dinner break, we were a bit dazed and had to re-grasp the real world. No doubt this dizziness was due to the amount of focus expended. Just like reading a book, you need to be fully engaged. Here, however, we’re not reading, we’re listening and watching. Being a visual person, it’s hard for me to follow by listening alone (which is why I don’t do audio books) and I’m brilliant at spacing out. Not here – never have I been so engrossed.
I really appreciated the self-reflexive nature of the show. When our protagonist reads and we hear a loud bang, then he reads there was a loud bang and responds bewildered. How the whole world of the office slowly became the world of the novel… it felt cinematic. Absolutely brilliant staging and attention to detail. The very definition of responding to text.
They also took there time – it never felt rushed, nor did it drag on. The ensemble transitioned seamlessly from character to character, scene to scene. And special mention must go out to the sound design – it was the of Fitzgerald’s roaring 1920′s and the world of the office.
Scott Shepherd as our protagonist and narrator Nick is a marvel on stage. His presence is both comforting and inviting. His flow from office worker, to Nick, to voicing other characters is delightful. And as the he gets deeper and deeper into the novel, we see him become fully invested as Nick. When he sets down the book and continues on is lovely and heart breaking.
This is a show I will always remember. For anyone who makes or study theatre this is a show to learn from and one that will be talked about for years to come. I’m honoured to be able to say I saw it. I want to shake the hand of the crazy bastard who thought, “You know what would be a good idea for a show? Reading the entire Great Gatsby.”
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