The century-old tale “The Great Gatsby,” often ranked as the Great American Novel, is a longtime favorite among English teachers for its rich symbolism.
Just ask Lenoir Community College instructor Cody Creech. The East Carolina University graduate and former South Central High School teacher has read it more than two dozen times, enough to have memorized parts.
Next week, she can put that skill to use as the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel goes from the page to the stage for Farmville Community Arts Council’s presentation of “The Great Gatsby.”
“I’ve taught it so many times,” said Creech, who portrays Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby’s obsession. “I’ve driven past here (the theater) every day on my way to work. I was like, ‘Well, this is my chance. If I’m going to do a show, this is going to be the show.’”
The show, set to open May 2, is being staged at the Paramount Theatre, which opened its doors about the same time the novel made its debut. Adapted for stage by Simon Levy, the play is set in New York in 1922. It tells the story of a self-made millionaire determined to pursue the now-married lost love of his youth in a world characterized by glamour and greed.
Jack Dail stars as the mysterious Gatsby. After making his FCAC debut in February in the contemporary “Almost, Maine,” Dail is enjoying the challenge of a period piece.
Director Marlo Holsten, who previously directed “Little Women” for FCAC, is a big fan of the music (jazz) of the 1920s as well as the dance (swing).
“I think it’s the time period, the Roaring Twenties,” she said. “That whole era, that whole swing era and the change of women, that’s a huge thing. They started to wear pants, they cut their hair and they got the right to vote.”
The character Jordan Baker (played by Heather Irvin, “Almost, Maine”) epitomizes those changes. She is the only female character to wear pants on stage.
“Jordan is a very interesting character,” Irvin said. “She’s a professional golfer, so she is not as soft and feminine as Daisy is. (At the time) women were just starting to break into professional sports.”
“The Great Gatsby,” adapted five times for film (most recently in 2013), is enjoying a resurgence almost 100 years after the novel’s publication. A musical version, which debuted in 2023, is premiering on Broadway this year.
FCAC is staging a book-driven version, the only adaptation authorized by the Fitzgerald estate. Still, song and dance have a place.
“For this show, you look at the script, it does actually say approach it like a musical,” Holsten said. “At first I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out.”
Now both acts open with big Charleston-style dance scenes featuring musicians and vocalists, an addition that was a bit of a surprise for Irvin.
“With the kind of costumes we have, it’s only fair to the costumes that we have dance numbers,” she said, laughing. “I love the glitz and the glamour.”
Another change that came at the director’s discretion was dividing the role of Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor and Daisy’s cousin, who also serves as narrator.
“The story is told from his (Carraway’s) point of view,” Holsten said. “A father and son (Bill and Kevin Rodebaugh) came and auditioned and I split the role. So young Nick, the one in the action, is the son, and the narrator, so to speak, is his actual father.”
Creech’s familiarity with Fitzgerald’s work makes her keenly aware of differences between the novel and the script.
“On the surface, it’s really kind of a superficial story: Guy pines for a girl for five years, falls in love, gets money and goes and tries to find her,” she said. “But the book is so perfectly written. F. Scott Fitzgerald is just a master with language.”
Irvin, also a fan of the novel, has grown accustomed to the changes in the narrative.
“When you’re trying to condense an entire novel into a stage play, you are going to lose some things,” she said. “But in my opinion, I think that this version of the play is so well done you get to see all the important aspects of the characters. You get the important parts of the story.”
Farmville Community Arts Council will present “The Great Gatsby” at 7 p.m. May 2-4 at Paramount Theatre, 3723 N. Main St., Farmville. Additional matinee performances are scheduled for 3 p.m. May 4-5. Tickets are $15-$20 for members and $20-$25 for others. Visit showtix4u.com/events/23142 or facebook.com/FarmvilleArts.
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