As parties go, there is nothing to beat one hosted by Northern Ballet, especially when it is their sensational adaptation of an American classic THE GREAT GATSBY.
This production is something really special, as the sold out theatre’s around the country will attest. With elegance and passion you can lose yourself in the decadence of 1920s New York when this ballet, by David Nixon OBE gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff from Tuesday.
The book is a must-read, the film a definite watch (whichever version), but on stage, with incredible choreography and sensational music by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Murder on the Orient Express), this F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel is brought to life as dancers glide across the floor in gorgeous Chanel- inspired costumes.
Set in 1920s New York, Nick Carraway moves in next door to mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby in West Egg, Long Island. Nick’s cousin, Daisy, lives cross the bay in East Egg with her volatile husband Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Gatsby have a romantic history that Gatsby longs to return to, and Tom is having an affair with Myrtle, wife of garage owner George Wilson.
Gatsby throws lavish parties at his mansion in the hope of meeting Daisy again and rekindling their love. When they are reunited, a chain of events unfolds that leads to acts of jealousy, heartbreak, betrayal and revenge, ultimately ending in tragedy.
Jay Gatsby is the man many of us want to be. As the host of many glamorous parties, he leads an extravagant lifestyle in his West Egg mansion, all in the hope of proving himself worthy of his first true love, Daisy Fay, who he fell in love with when he was a young Officer.
Daisy lives across the bay from Gatsby in East Egg and is unhappily married to Tom Buchanan. She delights in seeing the man Gatsby has become, reliving her affection for him. Confused about her feelings towards Tom and Gatsby, she flees into the night in Gatsby’s yellow car with devastating consequences.
This stunning production of THE GREAT GATSBY gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff on Tuesday (7th June) through till Saturday 11th. Performances are at 7:30pm with 2:30pm matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets range from @21 to £45 with a variety of concessions along the way. For more details, and to book yours, go HERE.
Incidentally, the theatre have an English and Welsh audio flyer on that page too.
Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s leading ballet companies and the widest touring ballet company in the UK. Bold and innovative in its approach, Northern Ballet is prolific at creating new full-length work with a unique blend of strong classical technique and impressive storytelling. Northern Ballet’s repertoire embraces popular culture and takes inspiration from literature, legend, opera and the classics, pushing the boundaries of what stories can be told through dance.
A champion for the cultural exports of the North, Leeds-based Northern Ballet is dedicated to bringing ballet to as many people and places as possible, under the leadership of Artistic Director David Nixon OBE. Northern Ballet’s Company of dancers performs a combination of its full-length ballets and specially created ballets for children at more than 40 venues annually.
A few years ago (2019), Northern Ballet’s digital dance platform ensured more people could access their work, from full- length films of popular ballets through to exciting short dance films by up-and-coming choreographers and filmmakers. Visit HERE to discover more.
And to find out more about this production, and the work of Norther Ballet, go HERE.