The Great Gatsby, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, REVIEW: ‘I fell in love with Gatsby once again’

I was excited to review the Northern Ballet’s version of The Great Gatsby as a regular ballet enthusiast, having seen many at the Mayflower Theatre.
By Sarah Standing
Published 16th May 2019, 10:24 GMT
Northern Ballet's production of The Great Gatsby is at Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, May 2019. Picture shows Tobias Batley as Jay Gatsby and Martha Leebolt as Daisy Buchanan. Picture by Bill Cooper.Northern Ballet's production of The Great Gatsby is at Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, May 2019. Picture shows Tobias Batley as Jay Gatsby and Martha Leebolt as Daisy Buchanan. Picture by Bill Cooper.
Northern Ballet's production of The Great Gatsby is at Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, May 2019. Picture shows Tobias Batley as Jay Gatsby and Martha Leebolt as Daisy Buchanan. Picture by Bill Cooper.

The mysterious glamour of Gatsby has long intrigued me from paper to film so to combine it with the finesse and classical art of ballet was sure to delight.

The Northern Ballet's artistic director David Nixon OBE first presented The Great Gatsby in 2013 earning rave reviews and several award nominations.

Well, David and his team certainly delivered. 

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Each scene was effortless and precise yet with a mix of the unconventional and the seductive and indulgent dance memorised and enticed.

With clever contemporary use of light and shade, distorted reflection, simple and chic scenes, timing and props, repetition, symmetry and the glamorous costumes of the 1920s, I fell in love with Gatsby once again.

The performance was excellently accompanied by a full orchestra and it was a treat to have the music director John Pryce-Jones, who will be retiring at the end of the season after more than a quarter of a century at the helm, accompany the final bows. 

The Great Gatsby can be seen at the Mayflower Theatre until May 18.

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