Roaring On the Outside
- bkatherinerose1
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 28
Date - 19th May 2025
Theatre - London Coliseum
Seat - Stalls B 35
Stars - 3
The Great Gatsby is based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age of the 1920s, it follows the mysterious wealthy man known as Jay Gatsby (Jamie), who is obsessed with an old flame, Daisy (Frances), who lives across the bay with her husband Tom and their child. The story is told by Nick Carraway (Corbin), Gatsby's neighbour and Daisy's cousin, and he is brought into Gatsby's world. The world knows Gatsby for his parties, and this story draws on the idea of the American Dream, social class, and materialism. The themes of love and obsession and how far you would go for love and wealth are explored. The show is full of moral decay for almost every character, with betrayal and dishonesty. The illusions of people's fake personas are evident.
The costumes were all very telling for the time and the class that each person was living in. To me, the idea of a deeper storyline was hidden with the dazzling costumes and staging that were used. The costumes felt like a metaphor for the extravaganza.
The strongest character for me was Nick (Corbin), who gave all of the different essences of the era—the feelings, the emotions, the happiness, the sadness, and all the anger in between. All this helped put the audience into the scenes of the roaring '20s. The ensemble was full of energy, helping to bring Gatsby's parties alive in front of you, keeping the mystery and the energy up for the entire show.
To me, something personally about the show didn't flow; something felt missing. I will say I have never seen the film or read the book, so maybe the same happens within them, but I felt sometimes the pacing was trying to rush or then focus on the wrong point. There being three different main love plots, they intertwined but didn't flow well together; it felt jumbled at times and then pointless at others. Maybe it's not reading the book, but personally, it felt like the main points were lost. I feel the writers needed to either cut one of the storylines or let it be more of a subplot; then the full impact of the dramatics could be more effective.
The overwhelmingly beautiful costumes and extravagant sets brought the idea of new
money vs. old money very well. You have Buchanan on one side and Gatsby on the other, and how both had money but not the same was really shown in the sets, with Gatsby having a very showy gold atmosphere compared to Buchanan's subtle ideas of views and elegant items.
The Great Gatsby has included the ideas of loss, dreams, class, and wealth throughout the show. These are just subtle parts of the show: the green light of Gatsby's dreams and hope, the eyes of being judged and looked down on in the Valley of Ashes, the extravagance of Gatsby compared to the minimalism of Daisy's, and the weather being connected to the characters' emotions all brought the story to life.
The show personally didn't resonate with me, but the audience around me had tears, and the bang at the end made everyone gasp. The crowd gave a standing ovation. Everyone has their own taste, and this just wasn't a show that I loved. This isn't down to anything of the cast; the cast were the cat's pajamas.
Welcome Mat Rating - 4 stars
The nearest tube is a walk to Trafalgar, but if you are driving, there is limited parking at St Martin's Lane. However, on their site, it recommends booking parking in advance at a Q-Park.
I booked through my access card, so the theatre knew in advance I was arriving and knew what my access needs were. I was emailed the TW to look through, which was great. I had a staff member come up to me before the show started, asking me if I needed anything for my access. She gave me a paper copy of the TW so I didn't have to remember them. The staff were all polite and understanding. She told me where to find a staff member if I needed anything. The sound was great for me personally.
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