The ( Perhaps a Little Mediocre and Not So Great ) Gatsby

A few weeks back, I chose to kick the roaring twenties off in what seemed like a fitting fashion- by paying a visit to the Immersive Gatsby currently running in London. The majority seem to enjoy it, an extension even announced this week. Even if reviews didn't laud it as a true and great literary adaption, the consensus was that this slice of Gatsby was good.

But I can't say that the night was at all the best for me.

Excitement was all abuzz in the air as I entered, and it's hard to not love the first glimpses into the night. Once you enter the main room however, this starts to fizzle away a little. Trapped in a stuffy queue to desperately put your things away before the show begins, or standing awkward in one corner as the crowds come flooding in, the tension of loneliness heats up the room. I'd say that awkwardness was the absolute constant of the night on the whole.

The promise is there of being lured outside of the main hall, which I imagine would add greatly to the night. I left on one occasion with a gathering of people, but that was to be the only such relief from the main hall. It's hard to understand who is being directed to leave, and many people try and grasp onto the invite anyway, swelling crowds pushing through. Otherwise, the whole experience feels a little less immersive as you sit, or stand in the main hallway. Something I seemed to note was that those in groups were more likely to be favoured. For a fair few people, I'd suggest to settle in, and enjoy an evening watching others have an evident ball.

There is moments of subliminal beauty to be found within the experience. I'm ready enough to claim that the novel is overrated, but there are for sure moments of art to be made out of the text in the show. When it becomes theatre, all eyes on Nick Carraway as he opens the show with a stirring speech of vibrant emotion well portrayed by the actor on that evening, or in the final, poignant moments, the death of Gatsby by a water fixture representing the pool, as the cast sings hauntingly. I found myself moved in these moments, entranced. However, this is an immersive Gatsby, not simply a stage play, and they are fleeting.

Altogether, my experience wasn't the Greatest. I imagine that, had I gone with a group, rather than alone, and had I been accompanied by the intoxication of alcohol, I might've come out feeling giddy with enjoyment. It certainly seemed that way for a good many people. Not that alcohol is necessarily the best for fellow audience members- I was stuck next to a group of girls who had drunk a little too much and thought audience participation needed at undeeded moments. Though we all there are guests of Gatsby, there is a story that needs telling, without interference.

The talent and dedication of the cast cannot be faulted, immersing us in 'jazz age hedonism' as the show promotes, with a confident charm and knack. The need to interact with audiences, I imagine, is a difficult skill, but they do it with ease, improv and all added in whilst maintaining character. This show was a letdown, I personally think, on faults of my own behalf, throwing myself alone, unintoxciated, and brimming with anxiety, into such a show. Many people are the opposite of those factors I held- so many people would have a blast, likely. This next statement is not a condescending statement: It appears as theatre for those not so much into theatre, a bittersweet blend of a night-out and theatre.

So, I raise a glass to this show, and commend the traits in it I found positive, for there were many to be found, in spite of my own negativity.

https://immersivegatsby.com - Tickets and more information can be found here, but I personally recommend checking out the wonderful TodayTix for prices like £21.