Reading Community Players present “The Great Gatsby: A Live Radio Play” on May 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. and May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Perkins Auditorium on the Penn State Berks Campus.
“The Great Gatsby: A Live Radio Play” is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Written by Joe Landry, the Roaring Twenties novel is reimagined as a 1940s radio show.
The Reading Community Players ensemble takes on more than two dozen characters from the novel, bringing them to life on the WBFR radio station’s stage for a live broadcast, complete with authentic 1940s-style commercials.
The story follows Nick Carraway, a young man who moves to Long Island and becomes entangled in the glamorous world of his enigmatic neighbor, Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and mysterious figure who is obsessed with rekindling a romance with Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin, who is married to the arrogant Tom Buchanan. Through lavish parties, secrets, and lies, the story explores themes of love, ambition, and betrayal.
Sam Moffat (playing Jake Laurents, portraying Nick Carraway) portrays the narrator who is also a character reflecting on the story as he tells it.
“The show is a constant question of ‘is this real?’ Each scene is a retelling of what happened, and we don’t know how biased those retellings are,” Moffat said in the release.
Leading lady Jill O’Neill (who plays Sally Applewhite, who portrays Daisy and several other characters) feels excited about this interpretation of a 1940s set radio play.
“Audiences should expect something creative and new,” O’Neill said. “This particular play has never been done like this before. Using many techniques, it is a love letter to theater and stage acting. The inventive presentation only elevates the already gripping story of Gatsby.”
Robert Bara-Popa (playing actor Tony Hunter as Jay Gatsby) agrees.
“With a blend of mediums and a clever approach to what the audience sees and doesn’t see, I think we’ve crafted something truly special,” said Bara-Popa. “A production that blends the beauty of costumes and sets with the nostalgia of a radio play. The show will make you feel like you’re there at the party and here at the stage at the very same time.”
As Jay Gatsby, Bara-Popa hopes to conduct “a beautiful exploration of the mind of a hopeless romantic who is blinded by their pursuit of the past. Balancing what he wants, what he says he wants, and what he actually wants.”
He hopes to create “a very fun character to step into. There’s always another side to what he says.”
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and can be purchased online at readingcommplayers.com. Flex season passes are also available.
Reading Community Players is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to bringing quality theatre and arts education to communities. To learn more about the organization and its offerings, visit www.readingcommplayers.com.
Source: Berkshire mont