Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles a theatre company has to conquer when producing a stage version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is getting the right script. 

The novel is by no means an easy read – a rewarding one, absolutely, but not an easy one – and there’s a tendency that in the wrong hands the potential for making characters and events appear muddled can easily occur.  Playwright Simon Levy wrote a version to commemorate the opening of The Guthrie Theater in 2006, a version that was officially approved by the Fitzgerald Estate, and he manages to bring clarity to something that could easily have been unclear.  It’s the Levy version that the Arizona Theatre Company has employed for its current production at the Herberger Theatre, and it works splendidly.

It doesn’t require knowledge of the novel in order to enjoy the stage production, though it certainly helps and adds to the overall evening’s entertainment of knowing exactly what Levy has done to Fitzgerald’s prose, what he’s cut, what he’s left in, and what he’s streamlined for precision.

It’s the Jazz Age and along with our narrator, Nick Carraway, we’re about to explore the world of the wealthy and privileged in the summer of 1922 in West Egg, Long Island, as seen through Nick’s observant eyes.  Nick’s neighbor is the mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby who constantly throws elaborate parties at his mansion but rarely participates, preferring to keep all guests at a distance while he silently observes.  As the story continues it becomes clear why Gatsby throws these parties, what he’s hoping to achieve and how it will affect everyone’s future, including our narrator, Nick.

The story is ultimately a tragedy, but what director Stephen Wrentmore has done has made The Great Gatsby exciting.  Taking his lead from Levy’s script, Wrentmore has managed to inject a sense of forward motion that doesn’t quit.  Scenes are generally short but filled with information we need to know, accompanied by minimalist set pieces effectively suggesting the sumptuousness of these characters lives.  The pieces quickly fall into place as the scene changes, helped by a revolving stage that doesn’t simply circle a piece of furniture or set piece into the correct position but helps the feeling of movement at the same time.

Wrentmore has also assembled an outstanding cast, each member managing to inject a sense of freshness into characters that have been known to many of us for years.  Despite a feeling of familiarity when seeing names like Tom and Daisy Buchanan on stage again, every player in this new ATC production has managed to infuse a refreshing sparkle to each of Fitzgerald’s famous characters.  It’s like meeting them for the first time. 

But there are standouts.  Sofia Jean Gomez as Jordan Baker effortlessly commands the stage – you can’t take your eyes off her – and David Andrew Macdonald as Gatsby delivers his lines with an unforced air of naturalness, quite remarkable when you realize that all the actors are projecting their lines with a heightened sense of reality while trying to sound natural, a method required when wanting to be heard at the back of the theatre. What Macdonald does, with asides and appropriate body language, is sound theatrically natural without trying.  He’s a pleasure to watch.