The
Northern Ballet have given a fresh take on several popular stories from
‘Casanova’ to ‘The Little Mermaid’ but it is unusual for this company to look
to Hollywood for inspiration. ‘The Great Gatsby’ is of course a classic novel
from 1925 but it has actually been a film thrice over starring Alan Ladd
(1949), Robert Redford (1974) and Leonardo di Caprio (2013). In many ways
however, the story lends itself to ballet. Gatsby’s vast mansion and lavish
parties seem to echo the palatial splendours and court balls found in for
example ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Swan Lake’ whilst the tangled love lives of Daisy
and Myrtle are in some ways reminiscent of the ‘Romeo And Juliet’ story.
The spectacle of vast wealth and
glamour was certainly given full reign with this production, rows of five huge
flats either side of the stage at times reflecting the art deco imagery of the
period, carried through with period furniture and naturally the costuming, from
flashy silk waistcoats to flapper dresses. Aside from Gatsby’s sumptuous lounge
and various lavish bedrooms, there was an excellent depiction of an outside party
with foliage lowered from the ceiling and a compelling lakeside raised walkway that
provided some dramatic imagery, particularly of Gatsby standing alone, away
from all his admirers. In sharp comparison to all this, the set was quickly
transformed on a few occasions into a grubby garage, complete with period
petrol pumps and loose tyres, providing the perfect contrast.
This production was a ballet and for
the Northern Ballet, there seemed to be much more emphasis than usual on
classical ballet moves rather the modern dance with which this company is more
associated. However, this was the roaring twenties and ballet mixed with
popular dances of the period. This included, not surprisingly the Charleston in
act one and act two opened with a dynamic massed tango scene. The blending of
the alternative styles of dance with ballet never appeared forced or clumsy and
gave a strong period feel.
‘The Great Gatsby’ is a complex
story and it helped to read the programme synopses to fully understand what was
going on but the story was nevertheless told in detail with even the party
dance scenes used not just for spectacle but to advance the plot. The dancers
displayed real emotion, visibly reacting to love, betrayal and death.
A key element to this production was
the music by Richard Rodney Bennett. Perhaps to give a period American feel, the
piano used prominently in the scenes at Gatsby’s mansion and for a particular
party, the score went full whack into jazz whilst in the tango scene, there was
a distinct Latin rhythm. For the most part, the music was powerful with a
modern feel and less use of strings than might be found say an older score like
‘Swan Lake’. Some of the music towards the climatic end scenes was also very
moving and this composer certainly captured the various moods of the story, or at least he would have done had he composed the music specifically for this
ballet. The score was actually carefully selected pieces from Rodney Bennett’s
extensive film repertoire including ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ and ‘Nicolas And Alexandra’ (both from the 1970s) but you'd never have known it without the
programme notes.
This was an imaginative production,
blending a composite score of film music with various dance styles to bring a
popular film (or films) into the world of ballet, which taken together was no
mean feat. A vibrant display of sets, costumes and music by the renowned jewel
of Northern creative dance that is the Northern Ballet.
Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 21.3.23
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