One can hardly help but wonder what F. Scott Fitzgerald would have made of the immersive staging of The Great Gatsby in the best of times. Yet a rendition of the classic with social distancing measures and audiences attired in masks may have proven a little much for the man himself.
Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook, the masterminds behind the staging of the show on the West End, believe that through a mixture of reducing the audience and increasing the wearing of protective gear, the show can go on as early as October.
According to Hartshorn: “Gatsby provides you with an easier environment to social distance than at a supermarket. The thing we’re doubling down on is PPE: in Gatsby you’re invited to a party so we’ve made it a masquerade ball which requires a mask, so we’re managing to incorporate that into the show.”
At present, the show is planned to go ahead from 1 October, with an audience capacity of 90 people. Some scenes did not make the Covid-19 cut, including the 250-man Charleston. The producers are also toying with the idea of having an A and B cast, allowing the show to continue even if one member becomes ill.
Hook notes: “Gatsby lends itself to social distancing between people and they have the agency to move around the space as you see fit as an audience member.”
Gatsby is something of a rare success story for theatre at present, with an estimated £330 million already lost due to lockdown. Hook has asked the government to introduce financial support and clear guidelines to allow theatres to reopen.
He concludes: “It’s been hard to watch the government not stepping in and saying ‘here’s the plan’. The Arts Council’s £160m is a drop in the ocean compared to other countries and there are so many cracks for people to fall through.”
