Seeing double

My preparation-H weekend continued at Gatz (yes, the nearly seven-hour dramatized reading of the entire novel, The Great Gatsby - but more on that later) on Saturday with twin Steve sightings.  Stephen Sondheim sat two rows in front of me cozying up to some preppie college twink.  They exited after the second intermission for what I can only imagine to be some private “tutoring.”  I didn’t spot Steve #2 until the first intermission.  But Mr. Martin looked dapper in an all black suit and his now-trademark black fedora.  Incidentally, Mr. Martin stayed the whole seven hours.

As for the show, it was long - really long.  Not that I wasn’t impressed by the clever way the cast integrated the text and story into the office setting.  But seven hours of concentrated attention (and sitting on the most uncomfortable stacking chairs imaginable) is a lot to ask of any theatre fan; even the black, skinny-jeaned hipster audiences that the Public Theatre seems to attract more than a Park Slope poetry slam.  At about hour six and a half I was mentally going over my Thanksgiving dinner shopping list while Jay Gatsby went belly-up in his pool.

The marathon production did elicit some emotional highs and several striking visual moments, namely the first party scene and the Plaza hotel scene.  Though obviously prop hell for the cast, the ingenious use of everyday objects coupled with strategic costuming and intelligent lighting created the illusion of luxury out of a musty old office. The actors’ onstage transformations from office workers to roaring twenties socialites is fully realized and seamless.  But Scott Sheperd (as narrator, Nick) is the the solid foundation upon which this production stands.  He has a natural charm and endearing quality.  He's the kind of guy you could actually hang out with for seven hours shooting the shit and having a drink.  How is it even possible he has a speaking voice by the end of the evening?  Seriously? 

Because the ensemble is so strong, a couple of the supporting players stand out as merely adequate.  Susie Sokol is an adept physical actress, but when she opens her mouth as Jordan, she shows all the emotional depth of a computerized GPS voice navigator.  I don’t know if she’s bored or was having an off day, but her stiff narration stood out, and not in a good way.

I also had some problems with the abrupt tonal changes.  One moment we are immersed in a naturalistic, literal acting style and the next, the actors are hamming it up like some Charles Busch campfest.  Though this schizo style seemed intentional, it often just took me out of the moment and seemed an attempt to milk cheap laughs from the audience. 

If you’ve got seven hours, $150 and time to see the chiropractor the next day, go for Gatz.  Except you’ll have to wait until the revival since the rest of the run is already sold out.  Or just turn off your computer, iPad, cell phone, TV, Wii or Xbox and actually read something!