Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The immersive stage adaptation of THE GREAT GASTBY is handsome and accessible, but could use a bit more poetry

• By drediman
• August 16, 2023
• No Comments

Anyone familiar with my taste when it comes to the performing arts knows that l’m a sucker for immersive theatrical experiences. Indeed, I have fond memories of attending endeavors like Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More (which is still going strong at the McKittrick Hotel in Chelsea), Third Rail Project’s Then She Fell, and Houseworld Immersive’s Bottom of the Ocean. I consider these experiences to be benchmarks of the elusive genre, representing everything I find compelling about immersive theater. So how does something like the new immersive stage adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby — which has arrived on our shores after a hit run across the pond in London — compare to these aforementioned classics of the form?

For one, The Great Gatsby is less exploratory in nature than Sleep No More, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just don’t expect to have the ability to curate your own experience or freely roam the production’s various chambers (a freedom which frankly may frustrate some audience members); these locations are only unlocked as needed by the unfolding plot. Although you’re essentially guided through the narrative, your journey through it seems almost randomly determined by which characters decide to whisk you away, which — along with the encouragement for audiences to arrive dressed as if they were actually attending one of Jay Gatsby’s lavish parties — gives the impression of a certain level of immersion during your time at the show. But in most other ways, the production registers more like theater as most people know it (complete with traditionally played-out scenes, albeit tinged with elements of audience participation), eschewing the avant-garde, art installation quality that’s typically associated with immersive experiences — for better or worse. The more overtly theatrical and less contemplative and intimate nature of The Great Gatsby makes it a more accessible experience, however at the loss of the kind of soulfulness and poetry that made Then She Fell and Bottom of the Ocean such singular experiences.

If anything, the Big Apple seems the more natural home for the piece, especially given the story’s setting. To conjure the world of Prohibition Era New York, the production’s design team has handsomely appointed and stylishly lit the Park Central Hotel’s subterranean ballroom and its adjoining rooms, creating a seductive sensory atmosphere for the proceedings. As directed by Alexander Wright, the crowd-control is efficiently handled, particularly impressive when you consider how central a role alcohol plays in the experience (a fully functioning bar is available at some points of the show). As for the cast, they’re hard-working and appropriately reactive, if at times a tad wooden (Jillian Anne Abaya as Daisy and Shahzeb Hussain as Tom were notably captivating). At the very least, they looked the part, especially as astutely costumed by designer Vanessa Leuck.

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THE GREAT GATSBY
Off-Broadway, Play / Immersive Theater
Park Central Hotel
2 hours, 30 minutes (including an intermission)
Open run