By Alicia Kelso
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary classic comes to life in BalletMet Columbus’ world premiere of The Great Gatsby April 24 through May 2 at the Capitol Theatre, 77 S. High St.
Choreographed by Princess Grace Award winning choreographer and BalletMet Company dancer Jimmy Orrante, the production takes audiences back to the 1920s Jazz Age, a time of lavish lifestyles and bootlegging wealth.
Experience the glitz and glamour of the Roaring '20s though the swanky parties of Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic man who mysteriously rose from humble beginnings to a life of wealth and prosperity, all for the love of Daisy Buchanan. The ballet brings Fitzgerald’s narrative of a shattered American Dream from the page to the stage.
BalletMet previewed parts of the production April 9, including three group dances depicting over-the-top party scenes of the era, and a tender one-on-one piece between Gatsby and Daisy, played by troupe dancers Emily Gotschall and David Tlaiye. The dichotomy provided a challenge for Orrante with his first start-to-finish choreography stint.
“It is hard to create steps and make it look like a functioning party when we have everyone on stage doing different things,” Orrante says. “But it was easier to set that scene and spit out the steps than it was to tell the story between Gatsby and Daisy, where the story has to be very clear and paced with the music.”
Orrante picked all of the music for the production, including jazz and classical music of the era, from Duke Ellington, Shep Fields and His Orchestra, Hugo Alfven, Benny Goodman and Aaron Copland.
BalletMet’s The Great Gatsby also features popular dances of the time period, including the Charleston, tango and fox-trot. The sets include Gatsby’s mansion and George Wilson’s gas station, and costumes are fully inspired by the Roaring '20s.
Orrante says he hopes to honor Fitzgerald’s literary masterwork with this stage adaptation, berathing new life into the intense characters and complex storylines.
“It’s a love story that never got to blossom. Also, so much was happening in that era – a raw energy and wild abandon,” Orrante says. “Everything that has gone into it – the music of the '20s, the glitz, the glamour – piecing it together has been fun.”
Read more about Orrante’s process in creating this production from scratch at www.columbuscityscene.org/print_issue.html.
An opening night dinner will be held April 24 at 6 p.m. at the Capital Club, Huntington Center.
Le Bistro will be transformed into an elegant affair much like Gatsby’s grand parties. Tickets are $100 for dinner and a performance ticket or $60 for dinner only. RSVP by calling 614-586-8671.
Tickets for the production are $24-$45 and are available through www.balletmet.org, CAPA at 614-469-0939 or Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com or 800-982-2787.