The California Ballet Company brought the roaring twenties back to life with its production of “The Great Gatsby” last weekend at the San Diego Civic Theatre.
The ballet was directed by Maxine K. Mahon, whose previous work includes “The Nutcracker,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Beyond the Barre.” Septime Webre created the stunning choreography and Billy Novick composed the music.
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1920s book of the same name, the ballet takes audiences back to the summer of 1922 when Nick Carraway (Jeremy Zapanta) moves to New York in search of the American Dream. After renting a small home in the West Egg district in Long Island, Nick befriends a man by the name of Jay Gatsby (Jared Nelson) who happens to be a long lost love of Nick’s cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Kirsten Bloom Allen). Nick takes the audience on a journey of Daisy and Jay’s forbidden love and its tragic ending.
“The Great Gatsby” ballet adaptation has been around for only five years — it was first debuted by The Washington Ballet in 2010. It has since gained critical acclaim and popular success.
The ballet production by California Ballet Company presented a fusion of contemporary ballet, a live jazz band and vocalists to bring to life the iconic tragedy of Jay Gatsby’s life. This ballet was nothing short of spectacular.
The main cast delved deep into their characters of Gatsby, Daisy, Nick, Myrtle, Tom and Jordan, fully embodying each of their different personalities. From Gatsby and Daisy’s forbidden romance to Tom and Myrtle’s affair, the passion and story was successfully told using no words.
Although, not all would agree. Audience member and fan of the novel German Pineda said the ballet production did not convey a satisfying depiction of the story.
“The ballet was beautiful,” Pineda said. “My only thought was that for such a powerful book filled with exquisite writing, I was almost yearning for the performers to act and speak more than they danced.”
Ana da Costa received a standing ovation for her passion and pure embodiment of her performance as her character Myrtle Wilson. Her display of seduction and flirtiness in her dancing made it appealing to watch her perform with Tom Buchanan.
Myrtle’s character was seen the most on stage and managed to encompass each scene, as it was intended. She successfully conveyed the type of relationship she had with Tom, her lover, and her husband, George Wilson (Justin Flores) through a successful shift in character.
With Tom, Myrtle was loose and submissive in the sense that Tom was leading the dance. She allowed Tom’s character to move her how and when he pleased. Yet, when dancing with her husband, Myrtle was tense and did not allow her husband’s character to even be near her.
The must-see, all-ages production of “The Great Gatsby” by the California Ballet Company only comes once every year. From the phenomenal dancing to the vibrant atmosphere of guests dressed in 1920s attire, the production made for a wonderful night out in Downtown San Diego.
