The Great Gatsby: A Live Radio Play Comes to Reading Community Players

By Steve Reazor

Reading Community Players continues its 2025 “season of classics” by presenting The Great Gatsby: A Live Radio Play, written by Joe Landry. This inventive telling of a Roaring Twenties novel will be presented on Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m., on Saturday, May 17, at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m.. at the Perkins Auditorium on the Penn State Berks Campus.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s cherished masterpiece is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, so this is the perfect time to revisit the story or enjoy it for the first time. The Great Gatsby is reimagined as a 1940s radio show in this lively adaptation. A talented ensemble takes on over 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.

This tale of triumph and heartbreak captures the glitz of the Jazz Age and the risks inherent in chasing the American Dream.

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. Gatsby, a wealthy and mysterious figure, 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.

Local actor, Robert Bara-Popa (playing actor Tony Hunter as Jay Gatsby), 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.” This actor hopes to create “a very fun character to step into. There’s always another side to what he says.”

Sam Moffat (playing Jake Laurents, portraying Nick Carraway) portrays the narrator who is also a character reflecting on the story as he tells it.  Moffat believes, “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.”

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. 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 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. 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.”

Get your tickets today, old sport!

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. For questions, contact the RCP President at 610-507-3436 or RCPtheatre@gmail.com.

The post The Great Gatsby: A Live Radio Play Comes to Reading Community Players appeared first on BCTV.

Source: bctv