'Gatz' review — a theatrical feat gets the green light once more
Read our review of Gatz off Broadway, the final NYC production of Elevator Repair Service's unabridged reenactment of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby entered the public domain in 2021, so you can't turn a corner without encountering an incarnation of it. Since 2023 alone, we've seen the first Gatsby Broadway musical, going strong; a second musical adaptation that premiered in Boston; and the short-lived NYC premiere of an immersive version that thrived in London. I watched each production — all entertaining, all imperfect — and can anticipate every major line from the book, a feeling that's become almost exhausting with repetition.
Whiffs of both exhaustion and anticipation shadowed me as I settled in for the latest installment in my Gatsby streak: the encore run of experimental theatre company Elevator Repair Service's Gatz, which premiered in 2004. Why bring back Gatz amid this glut? It's not an adaptation, by the way, but an unabridged reenactment of F. Scott Fitzgerald's entire novel that clocks in at 8 hours, including breaks. It's a big ask of audiences at any time, let alone when a 2.5-hour Gatsby musical is playing up the street.
But that's precisely what makes Gatz stand out now. The Great Gatsby — about an obsessive, moneyed love affair that ends in tragedy — is inherently streaked with darkness, but the other aforementioned adaptations smooth it over with a thick layer of Jazz Age glitz, carefully crafting the experience in the likeness of Gatsby's lavish parties. But Gatz is a welcome counterbalance, reaffirming the story's true nature as a complex and rather cynical portrait of excess, love, and that great American Dream. I thought I knew all the major lines, but I'd forgotten a lot (including a lot of funny zingers) since high school English class.
Lest you think you're in for a plodding day of disenchantment, let me share that Gatz is, above all, a show about hope. The central character, Nick (a triumphant Scott Shepherd), is actually an office worker who leafs through the book while waiting for his computer to start. It's not long before Nick the employee dissolves into Nick Carraway the Gatsby narrator, and his coworkers morph into the other characters. In a dull and monotonous environment, literature buoys Nick's spirit and imagination.
Considering that its run time is long and its stay in New York — Gatz closes on December 1 — is short, there's a good chance that even after reading this, if you're going to see a Gatsby production on stage, it probably won't be this one. Nonetheless, it's reassuring to know it's there.
Gatz summary
Gatz opens in a dingy, lifeless office, where a worker called Nick immediately has computer trouble upon arriving for the day. While waiting for help, he passes the time by reading The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel about a millionaire named Jay Gatsby and his doomed obsession with winning back his former flame, the now-married socialite Daisy Buchanan. The actions of Nick's coworkers gradually start to mirror the actions in the book, and as Nick gets more engrossed in the story, it becomes nearly indistinguishable where reality ends and imagination begins.
The show has had various encore runs since its 2004 premiere, most often at The Public Theater (as now). The current production is reportedly Gatz's final run in New York City, staged by original director John Collins and starring much of the original ensemble. Only three actors — Maggie Hoffman, Pete Simpson, and Frank Boyd — are newer additions to the cast, and even they have played their roles before in previous Gatz revivals.
What to expect at Gatz
Gatz's 8-hour runtime includes 2 hours' worth of downtime: two 15-minute intermissions and a 90-minute dinner break during which you can leave the theatre. The remaining 6 hours of performance are divided into 4 acts, each 1-2 hours long. That's still a marathon, so prepare accordingly: Dress comfortably and bring water and snacks. Luckily, the seats in the Public's Newman Theater are soft, with above-average legroom.
The time does pass surprisingly quickly — I can't say it all flies by, but a good majority of it does, the long monologues often animated by Collins's sprightly staging. And it is a marvel when, for the last 20 minutes or so, Nick puts down the book and recites the final stretch of Fitzgerald's dense text flawlessly. (According to ERS's official website, Shepherd knows every word of the book by heart.)
What audiences are saying about Gatz
Gatz has an 86% audience approval rating on Show-Score as of publication, with audience members (from various productions) almost uniformly praising the transformative approach to Gatsby, Fitzgerald's timeless prose, and the performances, particularly Shepherd's.
- "If you hang in, you'll be taken on almost a spiritual journey. I have seen the 2 most recent Gatsby films but think Gatz much better displays the fullness of the novel, which uniquely combines poetry, love & detective stories & deconstructs [American] mythology." - Show-Score user Bruce 6
- "Its a difficult adjustment to simply listen at first-- but once you adjust to the clever duality of the experience and the shifting of staging and characters you are deeper into the story than if you were reading/listening or watching." - Show-Score user Weegie
- "The most remarkable achievement in theater not only of this year but also of this decade." - Ben Brantley in a 2010 New York Times review
- "Odd, a bit surreal, and an interesting experiment. Great dingy office set, used in amusing ways in the show. I don't think I found it as revelatory as many did, but appreciate the chance to have seen this production." - Mezzanine user Sarah Autry
- "The comedic aspects are much more apparent in this production." - Audience member at my performance, who had seen Gatz before
Read more audience reviews of Gatz on Show-Score.
Who should see Gatz
- If you like listening to audiobooks, you'll enjoy Gatz, which somewhat resembles a Great Gatsby audiobook with more staging.
- Die-hard fans of the novel who want to see all existing adaptations should be sure to check this landmark one off their bucket list.
- Anyone who's ever lost themselves in a book will relate to the journey Nick goes on as his real world melts away and all but transforms into the world of The Great Gatsby.
Learn more about Gatz off Broadway
Whether you haven't encountered The Great Gatsby since high school, have only encountered it via other stage and screen adaptations, or have never encountered it at all, Gatz is a long but worthwhile way to experience it in its fullness, made even richer with Collins's staging.
Photo credit: Gatz off Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)
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