The cast has been announced for Scar Theatre’s exciting adaptation of The Great Gatsby, which will be staged in the round at The Cockpit this winter. Queering the central love story, this new adaptation of Fitzgerald’s quintessential Jazz Age novel will invoke a call to action in the ongoing fight for true equality, as they explore how the timeless themes of love, loss and social stratification are just as relevant today.
Emily Serdahl (Seagull, Island Shakespeare Festival; The Tempest, Sacramento Theatre Company) will take on the titular role of Gatsby, the mysterious and wealthy female socialite who struggles not only with her identity but also with the pressures and expectations of womanhood. Alongside her will be Ethan Bareham (The Great Gatsby, Oxford Playhouse; The Importance of Being Earnest, National Tour) as Nick Carraway, the rose-tinted narrator who begins to catch glimpses of the deception and tragedy that lie behind Gatsby’s decadent façade.
Lily Carson (Guys & Dolls, Pembroke College; The Great Gatsby, Oxford Playhouse) will embody the dazzlingly wealthy Daisy Buchanan, while Roman Pitman (The Great Gatsby, Oxford Playhouse) will play her antagonistic husband Tom Buchanan. Danielle Nnene (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Oxford Playhouse; The Great Gatsby, Oxford Playhouse) and Eleanor Dunlop (Bury Me, Riverside Studios, Bitesize Festival; The Great Gatsby, Oxford Playhouse) will share the roles of Jordan Baker and Lucille, offering different interpretations for audiences.
Fitzgerald’s George and Myrtle Wilson will be given a fresh new twist by Fitzroy ‘Pablo’ Wickham (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Oxford Playhouse; Medea, Oxford Playhouse) and Vara Raturi (Riha, 2023; An American in Paris, Oxford Playhouse). The characters of George and Myrtle take on greater significance in Scar Theatre’s modern adaptation as people of colour, providing a foil for Tom’s racist ideology that highlights the ever-present need to work towards an actively anti-racist society.
Xoan Elsdon (The Visit, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; The White Devil, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama) will play Meyer Wolfsheim and Michaelis, while Enkhtamir Erdenebulgan (The Great Gatsby, Oxford Playhouse) will return to the roles of Dr. Bergheim and Catherine after The Great Gatbsy’s run at Oxford Playhouse in 2023. Flynn Hallman (Darkside, Edinburgh Fringe, 2024; Tribe of Two BBC Radio 4, 2024) will take on the roles of Mr. Gatz, and Chester.
