play – Post Position https://nickm.com/post Nick Montfort Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:11:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://nickm.com/post/wp-content/stuff/cropped-favicon-32x32.png play – Post Position https://nickm.com/post 32 32 Gatz https://nickm.com/post/2010/01/gatz/ https://nickm.com/post/2010/01/gatz/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 04:46:53 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=681 Continue reading "Gatz"

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Gatz, Elevator Repair Service, directed by John Collins, at American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA, Jan 7-Feb 7 2010
Gatz, Elevator Repair Service, directed by John Collins, at American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA, Jan 7-Feb 7 2010

This play answers the question “what’s six and a half hours long, uses every word of The Great Gatsby as its text, and cannot be staged in New York?” Gatz is an admirable, extreme adaptation. Most of the words are spoken by Scott Shepherd, who reads Nick’s dialogue and his narration. A large cast voices other parts and also puts on effective dumbshows. On the empty space of the stage, a low-rent, aging office makes a second space which then is wittily made into a third, one which includes West Egg and Gatsby’s mansion. The set initially harbors a (broken) computer but is made to connect to the 1920s via windows, a swivel chair, and other elements. Actions are carried out before they are verbally narrated, so that the words sometimes become a sort of comical rimshot, anticipated by the actors; both actions and words get space of their own this way, too. The result, odd as it may seem, is both playful and faithful, capable of satisfying avant-garde theatergoers as well as great books enthusiasts.

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