A heartbreaking tale of love, loss and social stratification, the quintessential Jazz Age novel,
famed worldwide, revealed the dark underbelly of the dazzling American Dream. Now, Scar
Theatre’s new adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby reveals how these themes from
the Roaring Twenties remain equally relevant today. This thrilling adaptation remains faithful to
Fitzgerald’s text and original themes while breathing new life and meaning into the flamboyant
story, reminding audiences simultaneously of how far we’ve come, and how much further we
have to go to achieve true equality.
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| Emily Serdahl |
Nick, a young and ambitious stockbroker, is befriended by the mysterious, magnetic heroine, Jay
Gatsby. Initially enamoured with the lavish lifestyle of the nouveau-riche, Nick begins to catch
glimpses of the deception and tragedy that lie behind Gatsby’s decadent façade.
Casting Gatsby as a woman, Scar Theatre offer a bold reinterpretation that explores gender,
class and ambition in an intoxicating world of wealth and illusion. Their subversion also
challenges Tom’s explicit racism (often unexplored by adaptations), the lived experience of the
working classes and the silenced queer experience of the 1920s. This queer, feminist retelling of
the classic 1920s tale, presents Gatsby as you have never seen before, highlighting the social
politics of the time and the struggles of the characters.
Ahead of performances at The Cockpit Theatre, we sat down with Emily Serdahl who plays Jay Gatsby in the production.
What attracted you to the role/production?
The opportunity to work with Scar Theatre! Long time admirer first time participant! Taking on a classic character is something I’ve always wanted to try and I was particularly intrigued by the idea of layering a queer storyline onto this story and seeing what that revealed about the original themes F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about.
The opportunity to work with Scar Theatre! Long time admirer first time participant! Taking on a classic character is something I’ve always wanted to try and I was particularly intrigued by the idea of layering a queer storyline onto this story and seeing what that revealed about the original themes F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about.
How have you approached finding your version of the character?
I started by reading and rereading the book, using all the beautiful poetry and metaphor that already exists. After that, I did some research into the time period and particularly the queer world of the 1920s (some of the first “drag balls” occurred during this period). We have done quite a bit of La Coq style element work with water to bring out the imagery and emotion of the novel. It’s been incredibly useful to establish the scale of emotion felt and then hidden by all the characters.
I started by reading and rereading the book, using all the beautiful poetry and metaphor that already exists. After that, I did some research into the time period and particularly the queer world of the 1920s (some of the first “drag balls” occurred during this period). We have done quite a bit of La Coq style element work with water to bring out the imagery and emotion of the novel. It’s been incredibly useful to establish the scale of emotion felt and then hidden by all the characters.
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| Photo by Freddie Houlahan |
How do you think the re-telling of the story impacts on the events that take place?
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book already has queer themes and touches on the America’s attitudes towards queerness at the time but I think making Gatsby and Daisy explicitly queer highlights the false promise of ‘the American Dream’- if wealth, status, assimilation, cannot buy happiness or even mere acceptance, what are you willing to resort to in order to make the promise of that Dream a reality?
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book already has queer themes and touches on the America’s attitudes towards queerness at the time but I think making Gatsby and Daisy explicitly queer highlights the false promise of ‘the American Dream’- if wealth, status, assimilation, cannot buy happiness or even mere acceptance, what are you willing to resort to in order to make the promise of that Dream a reality?
How do you mentally and physically prepare yourself for a run in a production?
I have a playlist I like to listen to which helps me to find the time period and mood-world of the play (Sufjan Stevens’ discography features heavily on it). I do a bit of a movement and vocal warm up for the more stylized moments of the play as well.
Where did your arts career begin?
My first pro job was a touring production of Pericles. I played the maid (and very briefly the goddess
Diana). We did the show for over a year and I think performed it 280 times total?
When did you know it was something you wanted to pursue?
I took a class in undergrad and loved it but did not think I was good enough to make it into a career. I told my mother about it at the time and she laughed and said “Well Emily at this point in your life you are about as good a rocket scientist as I was an actor,” meaning, it takes a really long time to get good at something! Her advice to me was to pick something I wanted to spend a lot of time, effort, and energy on because whatever I spent those things on I would eventually get good at!
I took a class in undergrad and loved it but did not think I was good enough to make it into a career. I told my mother about it at the time and she laughed and said “Well Emily at this point in your life you are about as good a rocket scientist as I was an actor,” meaning, it takes a really long time to get good at something! Her advice to me was to pick something I wanted to spend a lot of time, effort, and energy on because whatever I spent those things on I would eventually get good at!
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing the production?
I hope fans of the novel come away enjoying and remembering their favourite parts but also with a new perspective on the story overall!
The Great Gatsby plays at The Cockpit Theatre in London from Thursday 28th November – Saturday 14th December 2024. Tickets are available from https://scartheatreco.wixsite.com/scartheatre
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| The cast of The Great Gatsby. Photo by Freddie Houlahan. |
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