SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Sometimes a show is so rich with meaning that the cast finds themselves forever changed, for having performed roles that are clearly iconic on the theatrical canvas.
Such is the case with the cast of "The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless classic, unfolding this weekend in Southampton. The show is directed by the incomparable Michael Disher.
Performances will be held Saturday, October 24 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m at the Center Stage at the Southampton Arts Center
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.
The cast, moved by their collective experience, spoke with Patch. Here, in their own words, are their thoughts and reflections:
Tom Gregory, Jay Gatsby
"Gatsby" may be one of literature's greatest examples of a man reinventing himself. But I don't see him simply as a hopeless romantic pursuing an unattainable woman. I see a complicated, worldly, and rather mischievous man.
Here's someone who survived the horrors of World War I, witnessed extraordinary brutality, and returned to create a world of almost unimaginable beauty, luxury, and excess. He delights in what he's accomplished. The mansion, the parties, the clothes, the mystery surrounding his identity — it's all part of an elaborate production. Gatsby is his life's star, writer, and producer.
There's a wonderful parallel between Gatsby's world and the theater itself. We create an illusion, invite people in, and they are enriched. Gatsby is a master class in living. He is immersed in luxurious excess, but beware: he is not at peace. He learning "stuff" does not make a man happy. In fact, I suspect that, if he were to be content one day, he would discover that, indeed, all along, less would have always been better than more.
I've come to realize that Gatsby and I have rather more in common than I might have initially imagined. I live alone in a large house on a hill in Southampton, overlooking the bay. I've enjoyed a measure of good fortune in my life, and, like Gatsby, I appreciate beautiful surroundings and the pleasure of creating a world of my own. I also rather enjoy living alone. There's something liberating about being the sole author of your own little universe. And, like Gatsby, I've been known to embellish a story now and then. Haven't we all?
But what I find most interesting is the relationship between who we really are, who the world believes us to be, and who we would like to become. Those three identities don't always line up neatly. Sometimes the boundaries blur, and I suspect most of us engage in a little reinvention throughout our lives.
Gatsby has made me recognize how much of our identity we consciously create, and how much others' imaginations create for us.
Perhaps the greatest difference between Gatsby and me is that I'm quite content with the life I've created. Gatsby, for all his extraordinary accomplishments, still believes there's one more thing he needs to make his world complete.
The East End has magnificent estates, extravagant parties, a fascination with wealth and status, and, occasionally, people whose personal histories are (nearly) every bit as intriguing as the exterior they present. Gatsby understands something that is very contemporary: the power of image. Long before social media, he created a carefully curated public identity. People are fascinated by him precisely because they don't know who he really is. And he rather likes it that way.
There's also the precariousness of his success. His fortune is tied to bootlegging, and likely other illegal enterprises that could collapse. For all his apparent wealth and confidence, he's built his life on an unstable and nerve-wracking foundation.
We live in a world where fortunes, reputations, and carefully constructed identities can change almost overnight. If someone wants to destroy you; a click of a mouse can propel a whisper around the world. Gossip moved more slowly in Gatsby's time — lucky him. He isn't entirely fooled by his own creation. He understands the illusion. He simply enjoys living in it.
Working with this cast has been a pleasure; theater is, above all, collaborative.
One of the great things about Michael Disher is he helps me explore the layers beneath characters who might be left to familiar types. Gatsby is particularly challenging, as everyone has preconceived notions about the handsome millionaire: his extravagant lifestyle, his look, his history, and the significance of that green light on the dock.
I arrived at the script with an abstract idea of who Jay Gatsby is, only to discover something quite different in rehearsal: a glance, a pause, posture, elocution, and the joy of live exchanges between characters. Every character in this story sees a different Gatsby. Some admire him, some distrust him, some envy him, and some are simply fascinated by him. In a way, that's exactly how Gatsby wants it.
I don't necessarily see Daisy as the great love of his life. She is the indispensable finishing touch to the life he's invented. He has acquired everything else. Daisy is the one thing missing from the picture. His obsession with her may have as much to do with completing that picture as with love itself.
I hope audiences discover a Gatsby who isn't merely the victim of his romantic illusions, but a man who genuinely enjoys creating them. He's charming, calculating, vulnerable, occasionally mischievous, and perhaps much more self-aware than some give him credit for.
He has built a magnificent world, and somewhere inside himself, he knows perfectly well how fragile it is. Perhaps that's why he enjoys it so much.
Elizabeth Wyld, Daisy Buchanan
What I particularly love about this production is how human these characters feel. It's easy to look at the world of "Gatsby" and see the glamour, the wealth, the parties, the extravagance. But underneath all of that are deeply flawed, lonely people.
Playing Daisy has been especially interesting because I've come to see her as much more complicated than I initially imagined. She's not simply a frivolous, wealthy woman caught between two men. She's someone who has constructed her identity to be as lovable and charming as possible, as a means of survival.
Daisy and Gatsby are actually quite similar in that they're both dreamers. I think that's what draws Daisy to him – they both have created identities built around beauty and luxury and elegance. But while Gatsby's dream is Daisy, Daisy's dream is more elusive. It's a feeling. She wants life to be beautiful and exciting and effortless, and I don't think she's particularly equipped to deal with what happens when it isn't.
Daisy has made me think about what happens when we become so attached to an idealized version of ourselves that we forget to also accept the messy or difficult parts.
I think "Gatsby" is almost eerily relevant today, particularly in the Hamptons.
We're still fascinated by wealth, status, exclusivity, and the appearance of having a perfect life. And I think social media has only amplified that. There's this enormous pressure to curate a life that looks beautiful from the outside, regardless of what's actually happening behind closed doors.
The Hamptons are an especially interesting backdrop because so much of the novel's world still exists here in some form. The extraordinary wealth, the social hierarchies, the distinction between old money and new money, and even the tension between people who live here year-round and those who come for the season.
But I think the story's relevance goes beyond wealth. At its heart, "Gatsby" is about longing. It's about the belief that if we could just attain that one thing — the right person, the right house, the right social standing — we'd finally be happy.
And I think that's something almost everyone can relate to, regardless of their circumstances.
One of my favorite things about this experience has been the opportunity to really dig into these characters with such a thoughtful and talented group of people.
Daisy is a character who can be interpreted in so many different ways, and I've loved having the freedom to explore her contradictions — her charm and selfishness, her vulnerability and privilege, her genuine affection for Gatsby and her inability to ultimately choose him.
It's also been such a joy to return to the stage and collaborate with people who love storytelling. There's something really special about creating something together that only exists for a brief moment in time and then sharing it with an audience; theater is such a special art form.
Tim Ferris, Nick Carraway
I teach literature and writing to college students, and I've actually taught "The Great Gatsby" as a model text for creative writing. We focused on Fitzgerald's writing on a technical level, which helped me develop an appreciation for Fitzgerald's skill with words and language. For this production, Michael (Disher) has expressed his desire to remain as faithful to Fitzgerald's text as much as possible, or as much as can be fit into a two-hour experience. As a teacher and a lover of great literature, I deeply respect Michael's level of commitment to the source material, and I am trying my best to honor this through my narration as Nick Carraway.
I remember reading "The Great Gatsby" when I was in school and not really thinking much about Nick Carraway in particular. But each time I return to the novel, I discover more and more about who Nick is as a person, and I've found that he's a lot more complicated than what I was able to appreciate when I was younger. He is always on the outside, looking into the lives of others. As such, he's an introspective sort of person. He's also a bit of a romantic, which I think is what he finds so attractive in Gatsby. It's very easy to become cynical and pessimistic, but Nick is the sort of person who (ideally) would like to resist this impulse, and it's through Gatsby's example that Nick is persuaded into believing that this just might be possible. I find Nick very relatable in this way. It didn't take much effort to slip into his shoes and try to embody this sense of idealism.
The party-goers and fun-seekers who appear in the novel never left Long Island. They just moved further east. I grew up practically next door to the Hamptons. I've watched these people come and go over the years and treat the East End like a playground. You see them drinking to excess and debauchery at the wineries, or making a drunken mess of things at the local farms when they come for "pumpkin-picking" with their wild children. They flood the real estate market, cause the housing prices to skyrocket, and make living here impossible for those of us who were here before them. Many of them are probably reading this article right now, oblivious to the harm they cause to the local communities. "Careless people," as Fitzgerald describes them.
Franco Pistritto, Tom Buchanan
This show, even though its setting is in the 1920s — the emotions expressed in it are timeless. It speaks to very personal human struggles such as the pain of longing, and nostalgia. It's been a different, and singular experience simply because of Fitzgerald's beautiful prose. The experience is perfect because this script adapted by our director leaves no room for hesitation — the tragedy is there and we, as actors have to surrender to its eventuality.
Playing Tom Buchanan is a bit scary for me but also electrifying. Scary, because I suppose that in all of us there are these tendencies in varying degrees such as entitlement, self-preservation. Electrifying, because what actor would not love to sink his or her teeth in the role of a villain?
"The Great Gatsby", I feel, is particularly relevant today and especially in the Hamptons because the economic divides still persist. As I drive along areas of the Hamptons, I pass by huge estates with mega mansions, but I also pass by long bread lines of people trying to get a meal. There exists, still, the contrast between the old and the new, between those whose families came to the East End generations ago and have quietly built up and owned these estates contrasted with the hedge -fund managers — "nouveau riche" gobbling up land everywhere.
Working on this show with this cast has been a great pleasure for me; we have become our own little family of sorts, all struggling to bring F. Scott Fitzgerald's beautiful words on the page come to life on stage. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the expertise, the understanding and insight of our beloved director whose at times stern, but always loving, direction has led us through this wonderful journey.
Susan Cincotta, Myrtle Wilson
I've never seen a play about Gatsby but have seen two films and was always fascinated by the book because of the language and extraordinary characters. I auditioned for the maid/butler thinking that was all that was available for a seasoned performer like myself. So when the director Michael Disher asked me to read for Myrtle at the audition I was almost as excited as Myrtle was when she met that handsome, powerful stranger on the train. Like Myrtle, I thought, 'You only live once' — and I went for it!
Myrtle is a dream role come true for me. My family has a few mechanics in it. I was born in NYC and am attracted to roles where characters experience life-changing emotions. Myrtle has an intense attraction and takes a bite of what she thinks is a higher standard of living only to be again controlled by an even more powerful cruel man. Very juicy part and a challenge for me as she is younger and I had to re-experience the foibles of youth and its vitality and promise. It is unlikely anyone would cast me in this role and the opportunity is unique and one I will be grateful for forever. Michael sees me, understands my abilities and challenges me to grow in every role he has generously cast me in.
In both her relationship with her husband and her lover; Myrtle is trapped by her longing for security, love and position. I wanted to give her more than a good-time girl looking for a little fun. She loves deeply and has an naive innocence believing that clothes make the man. She, like many women of her time blames herself for her situation as opportunities for women were so limited and marriage may have been her only option until desire for more excitement sweeps her away — and her bite, rather than sumptuous, is of a poisoned apple.
This is a very juicy part and perfect for the Hamptons, where the have-nots are sometimes looking to be the haves. As a real estate broker I've had the privilege of selling in both worlds from a modest first or forever cottage to the estates of billionaires in my nearly 30 years of selling in the Hamptons this April. It's the perfect play for these uncertain times with prices so high it's almost impossible to find a bargain or for many to afford to keep. The play begins and ends with the land and our historic use of it.
Finally, it's about a dream. The hope of impossible love. Gatsby and Myrtle get to savor and appreciate their small bite of something so delicious it's (almost) worth dying for.
All the plays I have done with Michael Disher have taught me never to limit myself to my own view of what I can do — as art is the only profession you can do at two or 102. Theater is an ensemble event. You learn from those you work with. Our cast and crew fit together to form a unique experience and I love every one of them! It can delight and surprise you just as quickly as it can break your heart and it's worth every minute.
Theater is needed so much now especially for the next generations to continue to learn about drama, compassion, empathy and experience it live and in their own communities.
Michael Ponella, George Wilson
The difference between this production of "Gatsby" and others I have seen, either on screen, or on stage, is that this one really pays tribute to the prose. We have a lot of Fitzgerald's original prose in the play, which makes the production one of the most faithful adaptations to the original text that I have ever seen.
This resonates with me as I have spent many years of my career as an English teacher trying to convey to students how brilliant a writer and craftsman F. Scott Fitzgerald was. To me this is the model example of language craft in using the English language to convey feeling and theme.
Fitzgerald is a master craftsman at the height of his powers when he completes "The Great Gatsby". The language is so musical and beautiful, and so when Michael says he hears the script like one long symphony, I know he understands its power. Michael Disher has really created a homage to the book through his script, and anyone who loves the book will appreciate this from the production.
George Wilson is an outsider. He is one of the few main characters who is not a patrician. I really try to convey that in my performance and invoke my own life when I become George, because I too at times feel like a blue collar outsider when I am in the Hamptons.
My parents are working class city people from Queens, and I was the first in my family to go to college, so in many ways I too "have not had the advantages" that Nick Carraway has had.
I keep this in mind when I play George. The character has taught me that there is some bottled-up strife in my own heart and soul, and when he breaks down at the end it is sort of a cathartic moment for me to let out my own frustrations through the character.
"Gatsby" is a story of the haves and the have-nots. Our society today is a society of the haves and the have-nots. The rich continue to get richer off of AI and oil and insider trading of the stock market, while the middle class and lower class struggle to afford to pay for gas and groceries and medical bills. We are slowly slipping into a technocratic oligarchy, where those who own big tech are able to wield enormous power and money, while the rest of us are made to struggle and contend with affordability and environmental concerns such as data processing centers and climate change. Many of us in the middle class feel like George Wilson, watching our lives be shaped by those with power and money who carelessly smash and break things like Tom and Daisy.
Patty Greene Brockman, Catherine
The way this production resonates with me is in how little people have changed since this was originally written. My character, Catherine, for instance. She wants so badly to be part of the "in" crowd — the exciting, glamorous world that in reality is out of her reach. But she plays the part, and maybe in doing so, she gets to be someone she always dreamed of. I think we've all aspired to be more than we are, at some time in our lives.
Catherine has taught me that it's okay not to take yourself too seriously. And that it's ok to dream and step into social situations that are different from your own. She's having a ball and if that makes her happy, even for a while, then it's worth it.
"Gatsby" is a quintessential study of human nature. The tragedy of the haves and the have-nots. The Hamptons are ripe with this story. There is incredible wealth and success here with lavish parties, events, and prestige. But having status doesn't mean everyone is happy. Gatsby creates a persona he thinks will make him more popular and attractive but it doesn't get him what he thinks he wants. Many people come to the Hamptons to "make it", only to find loneliness and rejection. It's never clear who will be accepted; who belongs, who survives. It can be a very lonely place regardless of status or finances.
Thom D'Angelo, various roles
"Gatsby" is a classic novel of life in the 1930s. Decadence, war, class distinction and prejudice. The American dream in print. Every young farm boy's dream come true and shattered.
For this part, I immersed myself into the shoes of a poor Jewish man raised on the lower East side in a world where survival meant stepping over to the "dark side" into crime and the seduction of power in the shadows of society.
"Gatsby" is a reflection of life in "The Fabulous Hamptons" where money is the god. Excess is an everyday affair. It's $9 espresso at a Main St cafe, devoid of anywhere a lowly farm boy would shop.
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.
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