The year is 1925. New York is under the siege of Prohibition, and Speakeasy’s are the place to be, and to be seen. Except for Meyer Wolfshiem’s ‘Luna Park’, which has been shut down for two years after he received the “biggest shock of his life”. When he finally opens the doors again – a young woman walks in asking after “Gatsby”. What secrets are stirred as she is forced to confront the past she’s been trying to escape?
In Gatsby’s ‘Speakeasy’, F Scott Fitzgerald’s fantastical characters play out the drama, the wry humour and the tragedy of the novel. Audiences are invited to dress up, sip cocktails and immerse themselves in the dreams, the glamour, the magic and the excess, and ultimately the tragedy of this iconic story. Cressida Bonas returns to the Leicester Square theatre after her one woman show An Evening with Lucian Freud in 2015. Joining Cressida are Ludovic Hughes as Jay Gatsby and Morgan Val Baker as Nick Carraway.
Director Linnie Reedman said ‘I am looking forward to working with this very special team on a piece which will take us on a bit of a magical journey. The actors are prepared to go the extra distance and I feel privileged to be a part of what they will discover and present.’
Ruby in the Dust was formed by director/writer Linnie Reedman and composer/musician/writer/ Joe Evans. Together, they’ve brought more than 12 productions to the stage that run the gamut from the fringe to the West End. They’ve proven their skill at integrating original and interpolated music into the text. They’ve won raves for their musical shows and because the stamp of authenticity that they place on every production is simultaneously true to its roots and boldly original, they’ve been able to use music that already claims a steadfast audience and introduce it to new ones.
They received the blessing of the Cole Porter Estate to use several Porter compositions for their production of Hutch in 2013, and their recent production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set in New Orleans, featured the songs of the legendary Dr. John, and was granted the rights to use the Disney owned Randy Newman song Down In New Orleans. Their adaptation of The Great Gatsby uses original music and lyrics by Joe Evans.
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