Theatre Review: Northern Ballet The Great Gatsby at MK Theatre
The Great Gatsby is a familiar tale to most by now. Based in 1920s New York, it follows the tragic story of a self-made millionaire criminal, Jay Gatsby, and his love pursuit for a young wealthy woman, Daisy Buchanan. If you didn’t study it in school, you’ve probably watched Leo DiCaprio and Carey Milligan film adaption.
The glitz, the glamour, the inspiration for 20s-themed parties. A timeless classic that’s been adapted onto the Milton Keynes Theatre stage in a whole new way, by the Northern Ballet.
Now, truth time, it’s been a very long time since I’ve been to the ballet. Sure, I was a classic little blonde girl leaping around at village hall ballet recitals in primary school. But it’s been a while since I admired the older ballerinas elegantly floating around the stage with their pointe shoes, pretty leotards, and tutus.
When MK Theatre asked us to go and review the ballet on opening night, the nostalgia beckoned.
Anyway, from one beginner ballet-goer to another, I want this to be your guide. If you’re debating if the ballet is for you, just go. Try it. I was lucky enough to be taken on a backstage tour of MK Theatre and I was blown away to see how much goes into performances - these tours are open for the public to book, so try that too.
Three things I learnt as a beginner:
Read the synopsis before the show, even if you know the storyline. I watched The Great Gatsby and read the book a long time ago – I assumed I’d remember. But it took me a while to figure out the characters, the intricacies and the reasons behind the emotions, until I recapped in the interval. It made the second half way more enjoyable.
Allow yourself to take it all in. Understand the characters, their emotion in each changeover, the props they use and the storyline will become easier to follow from there.
Hear me out on this… Listen to the Orchestra. I mean really listen – completely take it in. I was lucky to be sat in sight of them, which made the whole experience even more special. The music was outstanding and truly helped show the passion, emotion, and set the scene for the performance.
THE REVIEW
As I said, it was hard to figure out the characters and remind myself of the intricate details of the story at the start – but the interval and The Liz Editorial saved me. And the moment there was a switch between young Gatsby (Harris Beatie) and Gatsby (Joseph Taylor), I realised what was going on and the part of Great Gatsby they were focusing on. It’s from that point I really settled into the performance.
One of the best moments of the show was Gatsby reminiscing over the past of where the love between Young Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan began. Every single dancer in this performance was outstanding, every high leg stretch, every lift and the Charleston style ballet absolutely blew me away. With the most standout performances going to Sean Bates (Nick Carraway), who I recently found out is Milton Keynes based, Minju Kang (Myrtle Wilson), and Abigail Prudamas (Daisy Buchanan).
The costumes reminded me how much I adore the 1920’s fashion era. And an interesting fact that we were told by Emily was that the costumes aren’t washed until after the show. They pour vodka on the armpits to stop the odor smell… it’s tempting to try at home. My favourite outfits were worn by Myrtle Wilson (Minju Kang). She wore a coral pink ensemble and the most beautiful velvet sequin dress that would make heads turn at any costume party. We were lucky enough to get a sneaky look at both outfits backstage.
The Great Gatsby was a really good re-introduction to the ballet – perfect for any beginner spectators. And made even better with the company of my girls.
The Round up:
See if: You love the story of The Great Gatsby, you enjoy contemporary ballet, you’ve watched The Great Gatsby or read the novel and would like to attend your first ballet
The Great Gatsby by the Northern Ballet will be shown at MK Theatre until Saturday 28th May, and tickets are available online.
Disclaimer: I was given a free ticket for the show in exchange for this honest and independent review.