By Randi Bjornstad
Nearly everyone, no doubt, has heard of the great American novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but recalling the characters and the plot might be more of a stretch, especially since the plot is thick, and the characters and their relationships are complicated.
However, the Britannica.com website has done a creditable job of summarizing it all, so before Radio Redux’s radio-play version takes to the stage on April 15-17, here’s a quick refresher of the classic — and tragic — tale:
The Great Gatsby, Third novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925. Set in Jazz Age New York, it tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth. The book is narrated by Nick Carraway, who recounts the events of the summer of 1922, after he takes a house in the fictional village of West Egg on Long Island. There he lives among the newly rich, while across the water, in the more refined village of East Egg, live his cousin Daisy and her brutish wealthy husband, Tom Buchanan.
As the summer progresses, Nick is finally invited to attend one of the dazzling parties held by Jay Gatsby, his neighbour. At Gatsby’s request, Nick invites Daisy to his house, where she and Gatsby meet again and renew their relationship. Tom soon becomes aware of the affair and confronts Gatsby at the Plaza Hotel. Daisy tries to calm them down, but Gatsby insists that he and Daisy have always been in love and that she has never loved Tom. As the fight escalates, Tom reveals what he had learned from an investigation into Gatsby’s affairs—that he had earned his money by selling illegal alcohol. Gatsby tries to deny it, but Daisy has lost her resolve to leave her husband, and Gatsby’s cause seems hopeless.
Gatsby and Daisy leave together in Gatsby’s car, with Daisy driving. On the road she hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, though her identity is unknown to Daisy, who knew only that Tom was having an affair. Terrified, Daisy continues driving, but the car is seen by witnesses. The next afternoon George Wilson, Myrtle’s widower, arrives in East Egg, where Tom tells him that it was Gatsby who killed his wife. Wilson goes to Gatsby’s house, where he shoots Gatsby and then himself. Afterward the Buchanans leave Long Island, and Nick arranges Gatsby’s funeral.
Fitzgerald considered The Great Gatsby to be his greatest achievement at the time it was published, but the book was neither a critical nor commercial success. The novel gained popularity in the 1950s, soon becoming a standard text of high-school curricula, and is now considered a masterpiece of American fiction.
Fred Crafts, founder and director of Radio Redux, and creator of this adaptation of The Great Gatsby
The Radio Redux production of The Great Gatsby is an original adaptation by Fred Crafts, who founded the troupe, produces its shows, and occasionally takes to the microphone himself.
As Crafts describes it, “Radio Redux performs in the manner of a live 1940s radio program, using only vocal prowess, live sound effects, period-appropriate music, minimal sets and vintage costumes.”
The audiences at Radio Redux productions also play a part, acting as the studio audience that would have attended original radio play productions during their heyday in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s.
The cast of this version of The Great Gatsby features Bill Hulings in the title role; Peter van de Graaff as the narrator, Nick Carroway; Kim Donahey as Daisy; and Steve Wehmeier as her husband, Tom.
They are joined by Rebecca Nachison as Daisy’s friend, Jordan Baker and Achilles Massahos as George Wilson. Maggie Muellner takes dual roles as Myrtle and Edith, with Dan Pegoda as James and Slagle and Paul Rhoden as Henry. Daniel Squire handles the sound effects, with directrion by Fred Crafts.
The second play on the program — featuring the same actors — is Mr. Sycamore, a whimsical show in which a weary postman becomes infatuated with a tree on his delivery route and determines to change himself into a tree. As a play on Broadway in 1942, it starred Lillian Gish and Stuart Erwin. In 1975, it was made as a movie with Jason Robards, Sandy Dennis, and Jean Simmons in the lead roles.
Radio Redux: The Great Gatsby and Mr. Sycamore
When: 7 p.m. on Friday, April 15, and 1:30 p.m. Saturay and Sunday, April 16-17
Where: Soreng Theater, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Center (7th and Willamette streets), Eugene
Tickets: $25 general admission, $22 for ages 65+, $29 for youths through college, discounts available for groups of five or more; available online at radioredux.org, or from the Hult Center box office, from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, in person or by phone at 541-682-5000
