The decadence of the Jazz Age is a central character in the Arvada Center’s production of “The Great Gatsby.”
Historical context is critical in this drama based on the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Like the book, the show explores the excess and abandon of the Roaring ‘20s through the title character’s frantic quest to win back an old flame. Fitzgerald’s themes about the moral vacuum of Prohibition drive this adaptation by Simon Levy; this is the portrait of a society at the edge of a social and economic cliff painted through human characters.
The big difference here is that Gavin Mayer, who directed, and the cast offer little in the way of frills when it comes to conveying that theme. Where Fitzgerald offered detailed descriptions of crowded society parties and palatial mansions to illustrate the excess of the age, the Arvada Center relies solely on the emptiness of the story’s characters. The scenes are stark; only the principal characters populate the action set in busy hotels and society parties.
The result is an intimate take on Fitzgerald’s story that depends heavily on the skill and perseverance of the principal cast. That core group admirably meets the challenge, and in doing so finds fresh facets of a narrative that has too many adaptations to count. Some of the scale of Fitzgerald’s original narrative vision gets lost in the process, but the reward is a more immersing and character-driven take on the tale.
The show follows the basic trajectory of Fitzgerald’s text, kicking off with one of the best opening lines in the history of Western literature, Nick Carraway’s recollection of advice he received from his father in his “younger and more vulnerable years.” From there, Carraway moves on to memories of the people and events of a specific summer on Long Island.
In 1922, Carraway (played with charming and youthful idealism by Graham Ward) takes a job as a bond salesman in New York and sets up in the fictional community of West Egg. The village also hosts his cousin Daisy Buchanan (Jamie Ann Romero) and her husband Tom Buchanan (C. Clayton Blackwell). It’s also the home of Jay Gatsby (Anthony Bianco), an eccentric and mysterious millionaire who hosts regular parties in his mansion across the bay.
Carraway falls into Daisy and Tom’s social set — he becomes romantically involved with the cynical golf star Jordan Baker (Audra Blaser) and meets Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson (Cailin Doran), the wife of George (Steven Cole Hughes), a garage mechanic who lives in the run-down stretch between New York and Long Island.
Carraway also learns more about Gatsby, a self-made millionaire with ties to the bootleg liquor world and gangsters like Meyer Wolfsheim (Steve Einspahr brings the crook to life with an effective grittiness). Carraway meets Gatsby at one of his extravagant parties. He uncovers the romantic backstory between Gatsby and Daisy and he eventually helps the two reunite. They quickly pick up where they left off, but the fallout of their revived relationship quickly proves true Fitzgerald’s observation about the impossibility of repeating the past.
The affair tests Daisy and Tom’s marriage. Gatsby’s insistence that Daisy choose between her husband and her lover has disastrous and mortal consequences.
The story leaves out some of the more evocative and rich details of the book, and for the sake of format and running time, those omissions make sense. The emphasis is entirely on the characters here — there are no crowds at the society parties, no preening society types to populate Fitzgerald’s world.
That places the pressure of the story squarely on the principals. Ward’s transformation from a hopeful Minnesota native and war vet to a 30-year-old disgusted by “careless people” is moving. Bianco is a strong Gatsby, offering a consistent mix of high-society refinement and stark desperation to recapture the past. That conflict also comes through in Romero’s impressive performance. Her heartfelt take on Daisy’s character is a haunting portrait that eloquently captures the abandon and emptiness of the age.
Along with strong delivery by the rest of the ensemble, these performances partially make up for the missing details from Fitzgerald’s original vision. Their stark, unadorned deliveries fit in with the minimal scenic design by Brian Mallgrave and the simple lighting schemes by Vance McKenzie.
The show strips the Roaring ‘20s of its pomp, ceremony and presumption. What’s left is a careless, empty lifestyle that could never last.
THREE STARS OUT OF FOUR
“The Great Gatsby” runs until May 25 at the Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. in Arvada. Tickets start at $38. Information: 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com