When the B-CC production of The Great Gatsby begins, it is on a lively jazz dancing scene, performed by student actors and musicians. It quickly shifts to the spotlight on one of the show’s stars: Max Esfahani as Nick Carraway. A young man approaching 30 in New York City seeking to make a fortune, Carraway is wrapped up in the relationship drama of his cousin Daisy Buchannan (Ellie Redmann), her husband Tom Buchannan (Andy Sandhaus), and the enigmatic Jay Gatsby (Benjamin Marshall). Esfahani manages to bring a lively, whirlwind performance as Carraway, adding an almost slapstick air to it at times.
Benjamin Marshall as Gatsby was a star in many ways. He brought a fiery heart to the show, with a gravity that helped everyone else around him shine. His emotions leapt off of the stage into the hearts of everyone in the audience, through his joy and eventual sorrow. Similarly, his lost love, Daisy Buchannan, brought a thick, almost oppressive melancholy to the show. Viewers can feel her pain and longing and conflict, as Gatsby persuades her to leave her current, unhappy marriage to Tom Buchannan, and to resume their relationship that never got off the ground five years ago.
The secret stars of the show, however, were the stage crew. The set design was excellent, with the mock balcony dominating the stage throughout the whole show. With a fog machine, lowering signs, and a variety of furniture, the stage was able to match every scene perfectly, even mimicking the flight of a plane at one point. The highlight of the stage design and props, however, came at the end of the show. After being shot, Marshall covertly opened multiple fake blood capsules, and fell off of the balcony in an incredibly convincing stunt.
Congratulations to the B-CC theater team on their incredible work on The Great Gatsby!
