Regé-Jean Page is making a triumphant return to the stage, not just as an actor, but also as a producer, for a fresh, electrifying adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic novel, The Great Gatsby! Get ready for a West End production that promises to be as dazzling as Gatsby's parties and as heart-wrenching as his unrequited love.
Page, who captured hearts as the Duke in Bridgerton, has expressed his deep personal connection to The Great Gatsby, calling it a story "incredibly close to my heart." He's not just starring; he's bringing this classic tale to life in a new way, aiming to captivate London audiences. This isn't just any adaptation; it's been described as "electric, glamorous, deeply romantic, utterly heartbreaking," and, remarkably, "profoundly relevant to our current tumultuous 2020s."
But here's where it gets particularly exciting: the production, helmed by director Michael Longhurst, is eyeing a fall debut in the West End. Once a theatre is secured, the rest of the star-studded cast will be announced.
Page and Longhurst share a history that predates Bridgerton. In fact, Page's very first professional role after drama school was in a production of Alan Bennett's The History Boys, directed by Longhurst himself. This reunion is clearly a powerful one.
When Page first encountered the script by Joel Horwood and Maria Aberg, he was struck by its ability to "unlock the complex nuances of the book, in ways I’d just never thought possible on stage." He elaborated, saying it "digs into the white space of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original text with sharp purpose, and reveals the characters with a new vitality that feels both fresh and dangerous." He's been searching for the perfect stage project for years, and this adaptation's "delicate balance of spectacle and real human intimacy" felt like a perfect fit for him and Longhurst's shared vision to "excite and move audiences." Their immediate reaction upon reading it? "My God, it’s perfect. We have to do it."
While Page, also known for The Gray Man and Steven Soderbergh's Black Bag, couldn't be interviewed directly, he generously shared his thoughts on why Fitzgerald's 101-year-old novel resonates so strongly today. He explained that this new adaptation "has as sharp an interest in the social critique of the times in F Scott Fitzgerald’s original, as it does their devastating effect on the fragile, flawed people trying to live and dream through them." He firmly believes these two aspects are inseparable, and the play is dedicated to "boldly revealing the worlds behind Gatsby’s dazzling facade."
Director Michael Longhurst added that he was thrilled when Page texted him, "Mike, I want to be Gatsby, do you fancy it?" Longhurst, whose wife Maria Aberg is one of the writers, already had an epic vision for The Great Gatsby that he was eager to share. Page's enthusiastic response confirmed they were on the same page.
And this is the part most people miss... Longhurst describes the adaptation as "very political," "very probing," and "very dark." It delves into the origin stories of Gatsby and Daisy, from Gatsby's humble beginnings as a "clam picker" to his eventual success, and Daisy's stifling life in old money. Their intersection against a backdrop of a changing world is central to the narrative.
Longhurst emphasizes that the writers have "extrapolated the themes of the novel" to create a "properly probing work" that tackles "the acquisition of wealth, and it’s about capitalism and it’s about social mobility." He believes these themes gain a "sharpened edge" when Regé-Jean Page portrays Gatsby, particularly due to his ethnicity.
Furthermore, Longhurst points out that Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, is portrayed as a "white supremacist," a point he feels is often "sanitized in some other adaptations."
While The Great Gatsby is often viewed as a tale of "excess and tragic love stories," Longhurst argues that the play is fundamentally about the "acquisition of money and the American dream and progress," and critically, "who is allowed to have money and who is allowed to pull levers and how power is achieved." He feels the play vividly captures a society "hurtling towards destruction," making it both "thrilling and terrifying."
Longhurst draws a parallel to the novel's period, where Gatsby and Daisy navigate pandemics and wars, their solution being to "party hard, as they do in Cabaret, because they’re all not looking at the bubble being about to burst." He finds this incredibly resonant, stating that the production offers a "properly intellectual, thrilling look at the story so that it’s not just flapper girls and fireworks."
Here's where it gets controversial: The director clarified that the adaptation wasn't written with Page's ethnicity in mind, but rather, when they read the script, the inherent charge of the story, particularly Gatsby's journey from "clam picker" to success, becomes "really, really charged" when seen through the lens of a Black actor playing the role. This raises a thought-provoking question: Does the ethnicity of the actor fundamentally alter our understanding of a classic character and their societal context, or is the story inherently rich enough to accommodate such interpretations? The writers "haven’t changed a word of it so far," yet the impact is undeniable. Longhurst stresses that Page is "fully on this and is really excited by this," and it's been "really telling that it’s not been adapted with that in mind…It’s just really charged when that happens."
This nuanced approach to a beloved classic is certainly compelling! Producer Simon Friend, known for his work on literary adaptations like Life of Pi and Florian Zeller's The Father, is producing alongside Page's A Mighty Stranger banner. Friend was immediately drawn to the "bold theatricality" of this version, calling it "a Gatsby for the theatre, distinct from any other take on the book, and very now." He believes Page's "effortless sophistication and intellectual rigour will make his Jay a memorable one."
Page's stage roots are deep, having trained at the National Youth Theatre and the prestigious Drama Centre London. Even a decade ago, his talent was evident in a production of The Merchant of Venice, where he played Solanio with a captivating mix of "wit and menace."
Now, with a theatre yet to be confirmed, all eyes are on this exciting stage comeback. What are your thoughts on this fresh take on The Great Gatsby? Do you believe an actor's ethnicity can enhance or alter the interpretation of a classic character? Let us know in the comments below!
