A BALLET BY DAVID NIXON CBE Music by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett CBE Spring 2023 THE GREAT GATSBY2 It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Northern Ballet’s production of The Great Gatsby. It’s been 10 years since the show premiered in 2013 and I’m delighted that it’s returning to Leeds, Sheffield and London to be enjoyed by audiences new and old. Choreographed by Northern Ballet’s former Artistic Director David Nixon CBE, The Great Gatsby truly showcases the Company at its best - from unparalleled storytelling to lavish sets to exquisite Chanel- inspired costumes, I’m sure you’ll be transported straight into Fitzgerald’s world of the roaring 20s. I’m delighted that earlier in the year David Collins joined the Company as Executive Director. Over the coming months we will be working closely, alongside the rest of the Company, to build on our existing legacy of world-class dance whilst developing new and exciting stories to reach a range of audiences, both in our hometown of Leeds and across the country. The first of these ventures is Sketches, an eclectic selection of pieces choreographed by seven of Northern Ballet’s own dancers, alongside guest choreographer Jamaal Burkmar, and premiered by fellow members of the Company. This new series invites choreographers at different stages of their careers to experiment with movement, ideas and storytelling. You can see Sketches this May in our home theatre in Leeds. Looking ahead to the rest of the year, I’m thrilled that two of David Nixon CBE’s beloved productions, Beauty & the Beast and The Nutcracker, return in autumn 2023 and in the coming months look out as we share more about our plans for 2023 and beyond. I would like to extend my thanks to the Dancers, Wardrobe, Technical, Stage Management & Artistic staff, Northern Ballet Sinfonia and everyone else behind the scenes that has worked to bring this production to life. Finally, I’d like to thank you – our incredible audiences – who continue to make it possible for us to tell such fantastic stories. Now it is time to enjoy the show and be transported into Gatsby’s world. Thank you once more for your support and I hope you enjoy the show. Federico Bonelli Artistic Director Welcome Federico Bonelli. Photo Andrej Uspenski. Cover: Antoinette Brooks-Daw and Nicola Gervasi in The Great Gatsby. Photo Guy Farrow.3 THE GREAT GATSBY Production supported by The Great Gatsby will be performed to music played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia. Music Director Jonathan Lo. Riku Ito and Saeka Shirai in The Great Gatsby. Photo Emily Nuttall. Choreography, Direction, Scenario & Costume DesignsDavid Nixon CBE Co-Direction & ScenarioPatricia Doyle MusicSir Richard Rodney Bennett CBE Set DesignJérôme Kaplan Lighting DesignTim Mitchell Orchestrations John Longstaff & Gavin Sutherland Music Advisor Anthony Meredith Costume Design Assistant Julie Anderson4 The Story Prologue Nick Carraway follows directions to his rented cottage in West Egg, Long Island. Jimmy Gatz, now Jay Gatsby, remembers his early love for Daisy Fay. He won and lost her love when he was a young Officer going off to the Great War. Criminal activities suggest Gatsby’s financial gains are through corruption. Gatsby looks at a flashing green light over the bay, willing Daisy, who now lives in East Egg with her husband Tom Buchanan, to come over the water to his beautiful mansion, and back to him. The cottage, West Egg Nick is settling in at the cottage next door to Gatsby’s palatial mansion. He waves goodbye to his housekeeper and leaves for his new job as a Bondsman in New York. Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s home Nick has been invited to dinner by Daisy, his cousin, at her home across the bay in East Egg. He meets Daisy’s friend, golf champion Jordan Baker, and Tom and Daisy’s little daughter. As Tom is called to the telephone, Nick senses the tension between husband and wife; all is not as it should be with their marriage. George Wilson’s garage In the Valley of Ashes between West Egg and New York, Myrtle Wilson prepares to go out as her husband George works in his garage. The telephone rings and Myrtle takes the call from her secret lover, Tom Buchanan. She makes herself ready and runs for the train to nearby New York, leaving her husband lonely and unsuspecting. The streets of New York Tom, with Nick, waits for Myrtle to arrive for their assignation. She leaps into Tom’s arms and they set off to the New York apartment Tom has taken for their secret affair. The New York apartment Myrtle welcomes her neighbours for a party. Tom increasingly wants to have Myrtle to himself but her evasions and teasing eventually anger him so much that he hits her. The shocked little party disintegrates. Tom is ashamed and contrite but Myrtle is loving and forgiving as they passionately end their quarrel. The grounds of Gatsby’s mansion, West Egg One of Gatsby’s huge parties is in motion, attended by celebrities, film stars, directors, actors, boxers, senators, flappers, businessmen - and anyone who cares to come along and have fun. Nick finds Jordan and they dance with everyone else as the party grows ever wilder. As it draws to a close Nick and Jordan join Gatsby on the dock and he tells them of his past love and its loss. The cottage Gatsby, aware that Daisy has been invited for tea with Nick, has flowers delivered to the cottage and sends over a beautiful silver tea service. Daisy arrives and is welcomed by Nick. Gatsby appears and he and Daisy delight in seeing each other again. Gatsby invites them to his mansion to impress Daisy with his gracious home. Act I5 Gatsby’s mansion and the room of mirrors Another big party is underway and Gatsby has especially invited Daisy and Tom. Unseen by her husband, Daisy and Gatsby relive their love with shadows of their past selves. Eventually Tom takes his wife from the party which he has clearly not enjoyed. The Wilsons’ bedroom at the garage Myrtle is pining for Tom as George surprises her in the bedroom. He has discovered a valuable bracelet and now suspects his wife of having an affair. He tries to regain her affections but in vain. He insists that she pack a suitcase – he has decided to close the garage and take his wife away. Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s home Nick and Gatsby have been invited to Tom and Daisy’s home for lunch during the intense heat of the New York summer. Tom is secretly investigating Gatsby’s wealth and background. With growing tensions they decide to go into the city for the rest of the hot afternoon. Gatsby and Tom switch car keys and set off, Daisy and Gatsby in Tom’s blue coupé, and Nick, Jordan and Tom in Gatsby’s yellow car. The Wilsons’ garage George is packing up their belongings and Myrtle is upstairs in their bedroom. Tom, driving Gatsby’s yellow car, pulls up for petrol. He shakes George out of his lethargy and sees the cases and boxes being packed for departure. There is no sign of Myrtle and as he forces George to fill up the car Tom realises that he is losing her. He now also has suspicions about his own wife’s relationship with Gatsby. Myrtle comes down from the bedroom in time to see Tom, Jordan and Nick as they drive off to New York. She desperately tries to get Tom’s attention but is too late. Park Plaza Hotel, New York The cars arrive in New York and they all take a suite at the Park Plaza Hotel. They try to relax in the cool room but the tensions between them all from earlier in the day are rising. Eventually Gatsby tells Tom that his wife has never loved him and that she is coming away with him. Daisy is confused and unsure of her feelings for the two men. Tom now takes his chance to expose Gatsby’s corrupt past. Gatsby denies it all and Daisy asks her husband to take her home. Tom gives his wife the keys to Gatsby’s Act II car and she runs out followed by Gatsby who throws Tom’s own keys to him. Gatsby and Daisy leave for East Egg in the yellow car as a storm breaks. The Wilsons’ garage Myrtle, carrying her suitcase, manages to break open the now locked garage door. She sees the yellow car and runs towards it. She is struck by the speeding car and killed. Neighbours carry her inside and as her husband returns to the garage he sees the body of his wife. Tom is driving back to East Egg with Nick and Jordan and they stop at the accident. He sees that it is Myrtle who has been killed. They leave the garage and the desolate George, with Tom displaying his own grief and convinced that Gatsby has killed his mistress. Outside Tom and Daisy’s home Gatsby and Daisy arrive in East Egg and Daisy is devastated about the accident. She throws the keys of the car to the ground – she was driving. Gatsby picks up the keys and they part. Gatsby hides in the trees as Tom comes back with Nick and Jordan. Tom is clearly very upset but he invites them in for something to eat. Jordan tries to persuade Nick to come into the house but he refuses. He believes that his friend Gatsby has killed Myrtle and driven on. Gatsby comes out from the trees and Nick accuses him of murder. Gatsby tells him that he wasn’t driving the car. Nick leaves him behind in Daisy’s garden. Final images G eorge Wilson takes a gun and sets off in search of the driver of the yellow car. Tom comforts Daisy and they are a family once again. George Wilson approaches Tom with his gun. Tom points him towards Gatsby’s home. Gatsby tells Nick the story of how he got his wealth and made himself into a new person with the dream that his prize would be Daisy. Gatsby sits on the dock. Jay Gatsby’s dream of Daisy is at last realised in his mind. George Wilson appears. A gunshot. End.6 Characters Northern Ballet dancers in The Great Gatsby. Photos Emma Kauldhar, Caroline Holden, Riku Ito and Emily Nuttall. Jay Gatsby The host of many glamorous parties, Gatsby 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 Buchanan Daisy lives across the bay from Gatsby in East Egg and is unhappily married to Tom Buchanan. Confused about her feelings towards Tom and Gatsby, she flees into the night in Gatsby’s yellow car with devastating consequences. Nick Carraway A bondsman starting his new job in New York City and the cousin of Daisy Buchanan. He moves into the cottage next door to Gatsby’s mansion and helps reunite Gatsby with his cousin. Jordan Baker A young professional golfer and Daisy’s best friend. After meeting Nick Carraway at the Buchanans' home, she begins a romantic relationship with him. George Wilson Myrtle’s husband who suspects her of having an affair. He decides to take his wife away from the Valley of Ashes, and her lover, against her will. Myrtle Wilson Tom Buchanan’s mistress who lives above her husband’s garage in the Valley of Ashes, a dumping ground between West Egg and New York City. Tom Buchanan Married to Daisy but having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. Tom grows suspicious of Gatsby and the lavish parties he throws, as well as his feelings towards Daisy.7 Abigail Prudames in The Great Gatsby. Photo Emily Nuttall.8 What can you tell us about your character, Jay Gatsby? The Great Jay Gatsby, I believe, is a man full of hope and at the heart of his story is his pursuit of love. This love is for one woman, Daisy, who he met as a young officer before being sent away to fight in the First World War. His past is described allusively by F.Scott Fitzgerald which makes him a difficult character to dissect, but this difficulty is also what makes him such an intriguing character. We see him as an extravagant millionaire of new money, what people may describe as the American Dream – the belief that each individual can seek and achieve their goals. Jay Gatsby is seeking his dream of Daisy, but as relationships in the novel carelessly collapse and suffer as a result of the protagonists behaviour, will his dream be attainable? How do you prepare to play such a well-known fictional character? Fitzgerald’s novel is now nearly 100 years old and there has been a number of interpretations which are a great insight into the world around Jay Gatsby, but there is not a better place to start than to read the almost poetic language of the original text. My aim is to embody Gatsby but I first must see him from the outside as a spectator. Our ballet was created in 2012 and I have had the pleasure of witnessing so many of my colleagues interpreting this role into an iconic ballet performance. This plays such a huge part in my preparations. Without the guidance of my colleagues this part would be even more of a challenge than it already is. The ballet has many dramatic scenes, from parties to fights. Do you have a favourite scene we should keep an eye out for? My favourite scene has to be the very end of the ballet. There is a final song danced by Gatsby, Daisy and a young Daisy. The lyrics are very poignant, but Gatsby himself still believes deep down that all is not lost. It is almost like a snapshot in time before tragedy arrives. Can you tell us about the costumes of the ballet and what they are like to dance in? In one word, vibrant. The flappers of the roaring 20s were revolutionary at the time. It was a lavish new era for the wealthy in America and in our ballet the costumes evoke this with colour and class. The men have beautiful tailored suits and the women have short dresses with their hair bobbed. There are over a hundred items of clothing in each show excluding hair pieces and accessories. Our amazing wardrobe team do a great job of washing and ironing on a double show day. What do you hope audiences will take away from watching The Great Gatsby? I hope that the audience are taken on a journey of emotions throughout the show. It is a story that has remained relevant in an ever-changing world. There are many themes that different people will be able to connect to and I believe we still have a lot to learn from the characters in this story from their faults to their positive attributes, and it’s interesting at the end of the evening to see who you come out feeling for the most. Principal Soloist Joseph Taylor, who plays the lead role of Jay Gatsby, told us about his experience dancing in the ballet and how he prepares to play such a well-known character. 9 Joseph Taylor and Abigail Prudames in The Great Gatsby. Photo Caroline Holden.Next >