Play Guide [356k PDF] - Arizona Theatre Company

The Great GatsbyINTROF. Scott Fitzgerald’sThe Great GatsbyAdapted by Simon LevyDirected by Stephen WrentmoreINTRODUCTION TO THE PLAYConsidered by many to be the Great AmericanNovel, The Great Gatsby is at once titillating,fascinating and shocking in its portrayal of The JazzAge that was soon to disappear from the Americanlandscape. In this first authorized adaptationsince 1926, Simon Levy brings the humor, irony,pathos and loveliness of F. Scott Fitzgerald’sAmerican classic to the stage. Navigate the languidatmosphere of wealth and privilege with NickCarraway as he observes the glittering, elaborateparties of his neighbor, the infamous and illusive JayGatsby. Part of ATC’s AMERICA PLAYS! CelebratingGreat American Stories series, The Great Gatsby’ssharp depiction of the “American Dream” resonatesanew for each generation.Scenic Model by Yoon Bae, designer for ATC’s TheGreat GatsbyCHARACTERSJay Gatsby: A “Midwesterner” by birth, Gatsby’s past isshrouded in mystery, while his present persona exhibits anincredibly rich man with a strong emotional attachmentto a woman from his past. “‘I wouldn’t ask too much ofher,’ [Nick] ventured. ‘You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’trepeat the past?’ [Gatsby] cried incredulously. ‘Why ofcourse you can!’"David Macdonald, the actor who playsJay Gatsby in ATC’s The Great GatsbyDaisy Buchanan: Born to a wealthy family in Louisville,Daisy is a debutante and socialite whose past with Gatsbycollides with her present life with her husband, Tom.“‘Her voice is full of money,’ [Gatsby] said suddenly.That was it. I’d [Nick] never understood before. It wasfull of money — that was the inexhaustible charm thatrose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ songof it ... high in a white palace the king’s daughter, thegolden girl.”Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 4