Gatz extends run by one week

 


The Public Theater has announced that the return engagement of Gatz, the theatrical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, created by Elevator Repair Service (ERS) and directed by John Collins, has extended its run by one week, and will now play through to 13 May 2012.

 

The six and a half hour show began performances at the Public's Newman Theater on 14 Mar 2012, and was originally scheduled to close on 6 May 2012.

Gatz was created and developed by its ensemble, which includes Laurena Allan (Myrtle), Jim Fletcher (Jim), Ross Fletcher (Henry C. Gatz), Mike Iveson (Ewing), Vin Knight (Chester), Frank Boyd (George), Annie McNamara (Catherine), Kate Scelsa (Lucille), Scott Shepherd (Nick), Susie Sokol (Jordan), Victoria Vazquez (Daisy), Ben Williams (Michaelis) and Gary Wilmes (Tom).

For the return engagement all the cast are reprising their roles from the show's 2010 NY premiere at the Public Theater, with the exception of Frank Boyd, who replaces Aaron Landsman in the role of 'George.'

Gatz is not a retelling of the Gatsby story but an enactment of the novel itself. Over the course of a single 6 1/2 hour production, Fitzgerald's American masterpiece is delivered word for word, brought to life by a low-rent office staff in the midst of their inscrutable business operations.

One morning in the office of a mysterious small business, an employee (Scott Shepherd) finds a copy of The Great Gatsby in the clutter of his desk. He starts to read it out loud, and doesn't stop. At first his coworkers hardly notice. But after a series of strange coincidences, it's no longer clear whether he's reading the book or the book is transforming him.

Gatz features scenic design by Louisa Thompson, costume design by Colleen Werthmann, lighting design by Mark Barton, and sound design by Ben Williams.

Gatz had its New York premiere at the Public Theatre, where it played an extnded engagement from 26 Sep - 28 Nov 2010.

The 2010 engagement opened to very mixed reviews: Work of singular imagination and intelligence (NY Times); Fanny-numbing readathon (NY Daily News); As powerful a piece of stagecraft as you may ever see (Bloomberg).

Since its 2006 premiere at the Kunsten Festival des Arts in Brussels, Gatz has been seen on 18 stages, including at the American Repertory Theater (Boston, 2010), Sydney Opera House (2009), Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art (2008), Vienna Festival (2007), The Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, 2006), and The Holland Festival (2006). Awards include Zürcher Theater Spektakel ZKB-Acknowledgement Prize (2006), and Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Visiting Production, Outstanding Director - John Collins, and Outstanding Actor - Scott Shepherd (2010).

Scott Shepherd (Nick)

Originally published on

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