REVIEW: The Great Gatsby - QLD Theatre Company & Shake & Stir Theatre Co

The Great Gatsby

Queensland Theatre & Shake & Stir Theatre Co

Playhouse, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane

Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Co-Adapted & Co-Directed by: Daniel Evans and Nick Skubij

Co-Adaptor & Performer: Nelle Lee

Creative Producer: Ross Balbuziente

Set & Costume Design: Christina Smith

Lighting Design: Trent Suidgeest

Composer & Sound Designer: Guy Webster

Movement Director / Choreographer / Intimacy Coordinator: Nerida Matthaei

“Just when you get to be the best, they turn around and expect more from you.”

Few stories have seeped into popular culture quite like The Great Gatsby. A century after its publication, the name “Gatsby” still conjures champagne towers, flapper dresses, glittering parties and Jazz Age glamour. It appears in film adaptations, themed parties, fashion collections and countless stage interpretations. Yet the allure remains the same. Beneath the glitter lies a cautionary tale about wealth, longing and the dangerous persistence of pipe dreams.

The Great Gatsby, penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, unfolds during the roaring excess of the Jazz Age. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate and World War I veteran. Living next door to the mysterious and fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby, Nick is pulled into a dazzling world of extravagant parties and whispered secrets. As he becomes entangled in Gatsby’s obsession with his former love Daisy Buchanan, now married to the domineering Tom Buchanan, Gatsby’s dream of rekindling their romance grows increasingly unattainable. The story gradually spirals toward tragedy, leaving profound consequences for all involved.

Walking into QPAC Playhouse, I settled into my front row seat and quickly realised just how close the action would be! It’s the kind of seat that transforms theatre from a distant spectacle into an immersive experience, where the performance feels poised to spill into your lap at any moment. From that vantage point I could see every cigarette puff drifting through the air, every nervous hand twitch and every bead of sweat under the stage lights. At one particularly memorable moment, an actor (sorry, Ethan Lwin) even ripped his pants, and somehow this mishap only added to the chaotic perfection of the scene at the time. That is the energy of this production. Nothing feels out of reach.

This adaptation by Queensland Theatre Company and Shake & Stir Theatre Company kicks off their seasons with a dazzling bang. Directed by the talented duo of Daniel Evans and Nick Skubij, and co-adapted by Nelle Lee, this production invites the audience to not just witness the story, but to feel its pulse and experience its heartache firsthand.

The staging at first is deliberately bare bones. A typewriter sits centre stage, clicking away as Nick writes and rewrites his memories. Around it, the world of 1920s New York materialises through light, sound, costume and movement. In true Evans and Skubij fashion, the theatrical language is bold and expressive to immerse the audience in a vivid sensory experience. One moment you are swept into a glittering party filled with laughter, music and fireworks; the next you are abruptly plunged into a haunting wartime recollection, as gunfire and the echoes of WWI reverberate through the soundscape.

Christina Smith’s design embraces the idea that we are witnessing memory unfold rather than a strict reconstruction of place. The visual language shifts dramatically between locations. The vibrant colour of Gatsby’s parties and Myrtle’s apartment contrast with the soft, sheer whites of Daisy’s home, while the journeys between Long Island and Manhattan take on darker, exaggerated motifs. Sets appear and vanish quickly, like fleeting fragments of the mind. At times the mechanics of the Playhouse Theatre reveal themselves, with rigging and backstage elements exposed to remind us that the glittering world of Gatsby is built on illusion and façade, much like live theatre. Highly fitting for a story about people who spend much of their lives pretending. Trent Suidgeest’s lighting design heightens these shifting worlds beautifully, bathing the stage in saturated colour and dramatic contrast. From smoky nightclub reds to haunting wartime blues and shadowy silhouettes, the lighting helps sculpt each moment of memory.

The parties are a spectacle, despite the modest cast size. Glitter curtains descend. Confetti blasts into the audience. Jazz pulses through the theatre. One particularly raucous sequence set to “Do Your Thing” (the song from 2001) erupts into a loud, glamorous swirl of choreography and sequins, with Nerida Matthaei’s movement direction giving the party scenes a pulsing, kinetic energy. The ensemble move with swagger and vitality, while the costumes become a feast of fringe, florals, sequins and sparkle.

Nick Carraway, played with boyish charm and tortured introspection by Ryan Hodson, acts as our guide through this opulent world. Much like Nick himself, we become the wallflowers at every gathering, quietly observing the new-fashioned glamour and the cracks forming beneath it. Hodson's performance holds this duality in perfect tension, allowing us to feel both the intoxicating thrill of the social scene and the weight of its inherent superficiality. Hodson frequently directs his asides toward the balcony audience, reinforcing that we are not merely passive observers but conspirators in his recollection. Ultimately, Ryan Hodson emerges not just as the story’s observer, but as an incredible emotional lens through which we experience it.

Jay Gatsby does not even appear until roughly thirty minutes in, which only heightens the myth and allows the audience to build their own imaginations surrounding him. When Shiv Palekar finally steps into the light, he commands the room instantly. Gorgeous, clean-shaven, and dressed in a perfectly tailored pink suit, he moves with deliberate purpose. Whether still and watchful or crossing the stage in a flash, every word and gesture feels carefully chosen, old sport! And every detail of his appearance is meticulously curated down to his pale pink shoes. Palekar's portrayal of Gatsby is not merely charming and magnetic; it carries an unmistakable hint of boyish desperation beneath the polish.

Opposite him, Jess Vickers plays Daisy Buchanan with delicate restraint. She appears almost doll-like on stage, dainty and ethereal, her soft costumes enhancing the sense of fragility that surrounds her. Yet behind that seemingly unbothered façade, Vickers allows constant flickers of anxiety to surface. There is always the sense that Daisy is holding something back, caught between what she wants and the expectations placed upon her by society. As one line reminds us, “Daisys [of the world] tell people what they want to hear. It’s an affliction of the beautiful.” Vickers moves fluidly between charm and melancholy, capturing a woman who leaves those around her enchanted yet unfulfilled.

Libby Munro as Jordan Baker steals every scene with her cool demeanour. With brilliant one liners and impeccable posture, she radiates self assurance. Munro carries herself with a sleek confidence that makes Jordan impossible to ignore, even in crowded ensemble moments. Her wardrobe is a visual feast of chic playsuits and tailored sets (that I immediately want to steal for my own closet), embodying the essence of a modern woman who knows her worth and isn’t afraid to flaunt it.

Jeremiah Wray’s Tom Buchanan is equally compelling, though for very different reasons. He leans fully into the character's arrogance and entitlement, creating a presence that is imposing and deeply infuriating. Wielding his wealth and status like a weapon, he bullies and manipulates those around him with chilling ease. As his temper simmers and erupts, I found my own body tightening in response. You can almost feel the weight of his dominance pressing down on the room. This visceral reaction he provokes is a testament to Wray’s terrific performance.

Nelle Lee brings chaotic energy to Myrtle Wilson, the loud, chatty and unapologetically unhinged mistress caught in Tom’s orbit. She stands in sharp contrast to the more restrained characters around her, bursting into scenes with brash presence and restless ambition. Lee clearly relishes the role, making her Myrtle is messy, unmissable and inescapable.

Loren Hunter’s vocals drift through the production like a smoky jazz record playing in the corner of a crowded speakeasy. Her voice is outstanding and used to perfect effect throughout the play, punctuating scenes to guide the emotional rhythm. Her performance of “I Get Along Without You Very Well” becomes one of the evening’s most visually striking sequences, with the set slowly rotating as she serenades. Characters weave in and out of the space as if passing through Nick’s recollection, while the reverb on Hunter’s microphone gives the whole sequence a dreamy, almost ghostlike quality.

The ensemble work throughout is equally impressive. Donné Ngabo and Ethan Lwin in particular seem to pop up everywhere as intriguing characters. Their transformations help fill the stage with partygoers, soldiers, train passengers, and underworld figures, making the world feel far larger than the cast size suggests.

Some of the most effective moments come from the smallest details: The sharp click of Nick’s typewriter punctuating the silence. Jay nervously fidgeting his fingers. A sheer curtain billowing in the breeze, turning the actors into shadowy silhouettes. The enormous grille of Gatsby's car suddenly looming so large that I can barely see the actors behind it. Or when Daisy appears in a sequined green dress, a visual echo of the famous green light that haunts Gatsby’s dreams.

The dialogue moves quickly, bouncing between characters with an almost musical rhythm, with subtle differences in New York dialect reflecting shifts in class and background. Fitzgerald’s iconic lines land sharply amid the chaos of parties and shouting matches. The confrontation in the sweltering hotel suite becomes one of the most gripping scenes. Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Jordan and Nick lock into a tightly wound scene, until it feels like the entire room might explode like a grenade. The implied heat, the alcohol and the rising tempers combine with Guy Webster’s uneasy soundscape to keep the audience on edge.

What makes this production particularly engaging is its relentless entertainment. It never allows the audience to drift into boredom. Every moment offers something to watch or hear. A spotlight lands. A jazz riff kicks in. A burst of choreography erupts to life.

Even though the story is a hundred years old, the audience responded with true astonishment, perhaps encountering the tale for the very first time. Ultimately, this Great Gatsby understands the delicate balance at the heart of Fitzgerald’s story. It is dazzling and devastating in equal measure. And from the front row, the illusion proves completely intoxicating.