About the Play:

The Great Gatsby is a full-length drama adapted for the stage by Simon Levy based on the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, passionately pursues the elusive Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, a young newcomer to Long Island, is drawn into their world of obsession, greed and danger. The breathtaking glamour and decadent excess of the Jazz Age come to the stage in F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, and in Simon Levy's adaptation, approved by the Fitzgerald Estate. Especially recommended for school and contest use.   

The Great Gatsby tells the story of high society on Long Island in the Roaring Twenties; about idealism, excess and love. It is the height of prohibition and young Nick Carraway has taken up residence in Long Island's fictional town of West Egg, home to the nouveau riche near his cousin Daisy Buchanan. He is soon befriended by his neighbour, the mysterious Jay Gatsby, and is drawn into his glitzy, if garish, world of lavish parties and secret speakeasies. But as Gatsby's secretive past is uncovered and his intentions revealed, Nick finds himself a pawn in a love triangle so scandalous, it threatens to destroy all those around him. This American classic is a poignant examination of America in the early twentieth century, exploring the notions of love, morality, identity and the corruption of the American Dream. The Great Gatsby, written in 1925, by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald is widely considered to be a literary classic and a contender for the title of the Great American Novel. This adaptation of The Great Gatsby by Simon Levy for the stage is the only one authorized and granted exclusive rights by the Fitzgerald Estate and is the only version permitted to be produced in the US and Canada.

The Great Gatsby premiered in 2006 at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since then it has received dozens of productions at a variety of regional theatres, including the Canadian premiere in 2011 at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, and in dozens and dozens of high schools.

Cast: 4 female, 2 male (doubling, flexible casting) (alternate casting, suggested doubling may be ignored, or additional dancers and party guests may be added)

What people say:

"Playwright Simon Levy does a beautiful job of distilling Fitzgerald's sometimes fussy prose. Levy's combination of narration, dialogue and action delivers most of what is best in the novel…a brilliant distillation." — Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"A clean, imaginative and sometimes surreal work." — Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"By the end of the evening, there was a longing to see it again. And then again…This adaptation by Simon Levy clearly understood that Fitzgerald's words are sacred and can't be improved upon. What was added, deleted or changed to adapt the story to the stage was so faithful to Fitzgerald that it became seamless…Expectations were far exceeded." — Arizona Daily Star

"Somewhere out there, Jay Gatsby is smiling one of those enigmatic smiles, with everything and nothing behind it. 'Yes, old sport,' Gatsby is saying, 'that's about right. That's about right.' Surely, that smiling sign of approval would be Gatsby's suitably understated take on Simon Levy's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby…a beautifully crafted interpretation of the 1925 novel which defined the Jazz Age…This is indeed a grand GATSBY." — London Free Press

"Sweeping…excellent…Levy's adaptation wisely anchors itself around the first-person account of narrator Nick Carraway…a satisfying conclusion…affecting." — Variety

About the Playwright:

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself.

Simon Levy is the Producing Director for the Fountain Theatre in East Hollywood, an intimate venue well-known for its award-winning plays, where he's been a resident playwright, director, and producer since 1993.