Had Lana Del Rey walked into any KTV in China after the 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, she would have been overwhelmed by how ubiquitous ‘Young and Beautiful’ was.
If Baz Luhrmann’s glitzy re-imagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel proved anything, it was the power of modern flourishes and a contemporary soundtrack.
So when the Northern Ballet decided to put their own spin on The Great Gatsby, the thought of using symphonic scores had us a bit skeptical.
However, artistic director David Nixon, OBE, explains that the show’s music is primarily a compilation of works by the Academy Award nominated composer, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBE (Murder on the Orient Express, Four Weddings and a Funeral).
“The music is a triumph capturing not only the dramatic elements but painting the mood and atmosphere of the times,” Nixon raves.
Recipients of the 2014 Taglioni European Ballet Award for Europe’s Best Dance Company, the Northern Ballet have established a sterling reputation for adapting classic literary works like Cinderella and Dracula to dance.
However, can the company succeed in adapting a story so inextricably linked to its 1920s Jazz Age setting into this form?
Along with his dynamic partner and the show’s set designer Jérôme Kaplan, Nixon is up for the challenge.
“Although The Great Gatsby is definitively a ballet, there is also a variety of styles such as the Charleston and tango included,” he says. “The scenes have a very contemporary approach, combined with a variety of musical choices, [the result is] a great show.”
The biggest challenge for the Northern Ballet was adapting Fitzgerald’s florid prose into movements. Fully admitting that it was an impossible task, Nixon focused on bringing “the characters, their love and passions to life.”
“The ballet is not intended as a replica of the book, but as a performance work inspired by it and adapted into dance,” he adds.
Characters like the shadowy Meyer Wolfsheim have been eliminated while other relationships and scenes have been expanded.
“There is also the metaphor of a young Daisy and Gatsby, which thread[s] through the ballet as a reminder of the moment that transformed Gatsby’s life,” Nixon adds. “He never really moved beyond that even though time did.”
An avid fan of Fitzgerald’s finest work since reading it as a teenager, Nixon believes The Great Gatsby’s appeal lies in its enigmatic protagonist – a millionaire who throws lavish public parties while remaining a mystery.
“Although most people find the only redeeming character to be Nick [Carraway], there is an extraordinary single mindedness behind Gatsby,” Nixon says. “It is his capacity to love so deeply [and] his separation from the real world that makes him singular. The sad thing is that it was a dream he longed for, not the present reality.”
If Leonardo DiCaprio’s Gatsby wasn’t able to capture your heart as it failed to do with Oscar voters, the Northern Ballet’s bold adaptation might work unexpected wonders. Since premiering in London in 2013, the show has been an acclaimed global hit. It will finally make its Mainland debut at Shanghai Grand Theatre and the National Center of Performing Arts in Beijing.
> Shanghai: Jan 30-31, 7.15pm, RMB80-880. Shanghai Grand Theatre, tickets. See event listing.
> Beijing: Feb 3-5, 7.30pm, RMB220-1,200. NCPA - Opera House, tickets.
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