Gatsby: A New Musical has sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

In the final week of August, a company of 42 Salopians headed up the M6 to take part in the seventy-fifth Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Fringe is Europe’s largest arts festival; for the month of August, thousands of actors, musicians, dancers and comedians descend upon the city, turning every pub, lecture theatre and conference room into a theatre. Stars are made – Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Tom Stoppard got their first big breaks, and the hit Broadway musical, Six, started its life as student new writing. After a hiatus of two years during the pandemic, however, there had been concerns about whether this month-long jamboree would be able to bounce back. The answer was a resounding yes – with over 3,000 shows on offer, the Royal Mile was once again jam-packed with performers singing songs, juggling fire and trying to convince passers-by that they really needed to see a 40 minute comedy musical about lizards in Korean.

Our show – Gatsby – was originally intended for the 2020 Fringe, and it was an absolute joy to finally bring it to the stage. Throughout the rehearsal process and the show’s sell-out run, I was tremendously proud of the professionalism, talent and passion of our company. The cast, band and crew worked incredibly hard to produce a show that garnered superb reviews throughout the run (please see below.)

All of this would not have been possible without the generosity of a number of staff who gave up their holidays to support the production, and I would like to offer enormous thanks to Vicky Kirk, Seb Cooley, Ian Reade, Toby Percival, Sian Stanhope and John Moore.

Helen Brown
Director of Drama and Deputy Head (Co-Curricular)

Reviews (For all our reviews, please visit www.edfringe.com)

‘The Great Gatsby’ frequently tops charts of the 20th century’s greatest novels, and it is easy to see why this story of unrequited love has such enduring appeal. The success of Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film version made it into a cult classic for a new generation, who love the sequins and the glamour, but perhaps miss the emotional bleakness at the novel’s core. This is not an allegation that could be levelled at this brilliant new stage adaptation by Helen Brown and John Moore, which gives us both the razzmatazz of the 1920s and a pervading sense of melancholia.

The story opens when Nick – a wide-eyed idealist from the mid-West – arrives in Long Island to visit his spoilt and wealthy cousin Daisy. The novel is told from Nick’s perspective, and it is a challenge to translate this first-person narrative persona onto the stage. However, Ed P (R, UVI) gives a compelling performance, shifting between the naivete of his younger self and an older, wiser narrative voice.

Daisy is married to Tom, played with menacing intensity by Laurie M (Rb, UVI). Tom, in turn, is sleeping with Myrtle Wilson, a brash social-climber from the wrong side of the tracks. Kate W (M, UVI) is superb as Myrtle, who is re-imagined in this version as a Ziegfield showgirl, complete with high kicks and tap shoes.

Both Daisy and Myrtle are the objects of hopeless adoration, and the men who adore them are perhaps the most sympathetic characters in the story. George Wilson, the simple-minded, big-hearted husband of Myrtle, becomes collateral damage to the rich and selfish. His final song, over the body of his wife, is perhaps the most moving moment of the show.

The driving force of the action, of course, is the passion of Jay Gatsby for Daisy. The audience needs to believe that he is prepared to transform his life and identity in order to be worthy of her. Guy D (Rb, UVI) and Charlie Holliday (M) are an endearing couple, capturing the rose-tinted confidence of young love before it all goes sour.
Their innocence is juxtaposed with the bitter cynicism of those around them – the director seems keen to remind us that the heartbreak of war and recession are only round the corner. There are beautiful cameos from Georgina Cooper (G) and Thea Haugan (MSH), offering dire warnings against optimism. No-one believes in true love anymore. What’s the point in living with nothing worth believing? There isn’t a cure for love.

The show ends, as it begins, at the graveside of Gatsby. A despairing message for humanity, perhaps, but not for the careers of these young performers, who I am sure will go on to great things.

Fiona Mountford

Shrewsbury School has been bringing original musicals to the Fringe for the past 15 years. During this time, they have garnered critical acclaim including a Fringe First Award for their production of Jekyll!. So quite a reputation to live up to. This year, they have brought an all-singing, all-dancing adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby.

Nick Caraway (Ed P) is an ambitious young man determined to make his way in selling bonds. Living on Long Island alongside the rich and famous people, he is introduced to the elusive millionaire Jay Gatsby, a striking performance from Guy D.

It’s a glitzy, glamorous world with extravagant, hedonistic parties. Gatsby has always been in love with Daisy Buchanan, outstandingly played by Charlie Holliday.

She is in a loveless marriage with her unfaithful husband Tom Buchanan (Laurie M) and Gatsby is determined to woo her back to his side. Things get complicated between Tom and his mistress Myrtle (Kate W) and her mechanic husband George(Louis Graham, (Rt)).

Following a wild stay in New York, there is a tragic, drunken road accident resulting in Myrtle’s death and George seeking retribution.

The impressive troupe of dancers, beautifully dressed in period costumes, give exuberant, spectacular dance routines filled with all the razzmatazz of the '20s slickly choreographed by Sian Stanhope. John Moore’s score perfectly captures the period and the band are absolutely first class.

Robin Strapp (British Theatre Guide)

Since it came out of copyright a few years ago, there’s been a tidal wave of adaptations of Fitzgerald’s famous novel – a film, a ballet, an immersive theatrical ‘experience’ and a plethora of plays and musicals. You can see why. The story has glamour, romance, mystery – and of course, the fabulous costumes. However, for my money, this is one of the cleverest adaptations I’ve seen. The lyrics are brilliant, fusing Fitzgerald’s original text with quotations from Ezra Pound, Shakespeare and Baudelaire. If T.S. Eliot wrote musicals, they’d sound like this! The libretto is matched with a wonderful, densely orchestrated score by award-winning composer John Moore, who gives us both soaring melodies (I loved Daisy’s song to her daughter in the opening scene) and some really complex, operatic harmonies. A great show, which I’d love to see picked up for the West End

Duncan Tavistock