© Ellie Long
Lycée Michel Lucius hosted the American Drama Group Europe on 28 March for two performances of The Great Gatsby, dazzling audiences.
On Friday 28 March, Lycée Michel Lucius were privileged to host the American Drama Group Europe (ADG) perform their touring production of The Great Gatsby for two consecutive performances; for the current 4IEC year group who are also studying Scott Fitzgerald’s novel for their IGCSE coursework, and for a paying audience in the evening.
Students across the two IGCSE Drama classes were able to participate in a question-and-answer session before the performance took place, and meet the cast at the end.
Consisting of just five actor-musicians, the cast stunned both audiences with creative visual story-telling, energetic physical theatrics, and a live musical set that wove seamlessly alongside the dialogue. Collaboratively fluid and masterfully skilled, the cast captivated the audience for 90 minutes, bringing New York's Jazz Age to life. Staying true to the book, Nick Carraway's central narration follows his entanglement with the mysterious enigma that is Jay Gatsby and his doomed love for Daisy Buchanan.
ADG put their audiences through an emotional mincer allowing for laughter at the raucous and chaotic caricatures who regularly crashed Gatsby’s parties, an unexpected lump in the throat at Daisy’s inability to live up to Gatsby's idealised version of herself, and a surging anger at Tom Buchanan who serves as a catalyst for much of the conflict.
The minimalist set echoed the roaring 1920s and the revolving costumes were beautifully representational, illustrating the numerous roles each actor brought to life. The energy the cast summoned was infectious and Leo Benedict’s bold direction- reminiscent of the likes of Knee High Theatre- incorporated puppetry, dance, and striking visual imagery that immediately presented the anarchic and excessive joy that persisted even in the darkest moments.
ADG Europe are back in Luxembourg this summer with their castle tour of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'.
