'The Great Gatsby,' A Timeless Classic, Reborn At Center Stage at Southampton Arts Center This Fall

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — The Roaring 20s was never more pointedly and poignantly defined than in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," a prescient tale of love, longing, and loss.

And now, that timeless classic will be reimagined at Center Stage at the Southampton Arts Center soon in a stunning performance too compelling to miss.

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The show unveils a glimpse into an era thinly veiled in glitz, glamour and jazz while deftly hiding a tumultuous country on the brink of ruination. At the center is a man, a myth — a creation of his own design — whose desires pull him back to a love he once felt unworthy of obtaining.

The show will be directed by the incomparable Michael Disher. Performances will be held Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m., Saturday, October 24 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m.

Beneath this romantic underscoring lie deeper themes of socio-economic unrest, poverty, deception, and organized crime — and a scathing look at power and privilege among the affluent.

"Let's be blunt: The Great Gatsby is an American tragedy. Love is tenuous and tentative. Lives are expendable. Jazz was as intoxicating as bootleg gin. And the decade was as elusive as the American Dream," Disher said.

Based on Joe Landry's radio version of "Gatsby", Disher and Landry, frequent collaborators, took a new approach to the material. Part play, part radio presentation — as radio was quite available in the 1920s — Disher and Landry went back to the book and its brilliant prose to create a thorough presentation of the story's glamour, grit and gravitas.

"There was so much we wanted to include. And so much that could be included. Many versions focus on the party. And the party is a key factor here, but the end of the party, the era is so much more heart wrenching," said Disher.

And the music underscores, literally and figuratively, the decade's heights — and depths.

"The Great Gatsby" cast includes Patty Greene Brockman, Susan Cincotta, Thom D'Angelo, Tim Ferris, Vincenzo James Harty, Alyssa Kelly, Michael Ponella, Jack Seabury, Michaal Lyn Schepps, Elizabeth Wyld, Franco Pistritto, and Tom Gregory as Jay Gatsby.

Along with Disher's direction, Jack Seabury musically directs. Lighting and sound are presented by Ken Blessing, with set design by Joey Giovingo, projections by Joe Landry and Ken Blessing, and production photography by Dane DuPuis.

Tickets cost $25 for general admission and $20 for SAC members. Student and group rates are available. For tickets, call 631-283-0967 or click here.

Center Stage at Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton.

For additional information, click here.