The theater begins to fill up with students from different classes, at least four or five, to watch a preview of the show before its premiere.
The chatter of excitement and socializing echoes throughout the entire theater. The air is starting to feel less crisp as the cold is driven away by the heaters. A spotlight is shining in the middle of the extravagant velvet, semi-deep red curtains.
The lights suddenly turn off and the curtains unfold.
With that, the play begins…
The actor who plays Nick Carraway (Joaquin Cardenas ‘23) gives a delightful introduction quoting from the very first pages of the book.
The next scene plays out where Nick comes over to Daisy (Keeley Jibben ‘23) and Tom Buchanan’s (Levi Linn ‘23) extravagant estate, where he is introduced to Jordan Baker (Mariana De La Pena ‘23) for the first time. This scene is amazingly accurate to the book, where it displays Daisy’s optimism, Tom’s aggressiveness, and Nick’s straightforwardness, along with the personality of Jordan.
The actors in La Quinta High School’s production of “The Great Gatsby” did an amazing job in their performance. Casting was excellent and the actors fit their roles well.
The narration, done by Cardenas, was executed very well. Those in charge of costumes, set and lighting made the environment inviting — which was reminiscent of the 1920s. It is beautifully designed set and true to the classic novel.
Nick Carraway (Cardenas) had excellent posture and a calm tone that added great detail to the underlined dullness of his character.
Daisy Buchanan’s performance, played by Keeley Jibben ‘23, was fantastic: she's a very talkative character and cheery.
A memorable quote from this particular character was, “That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool…”
Jay Gatsby, performed by Benjamin Bautista ‘23, stands short with a slim build and well combed hair. The eponymous character is mysterious and describes himself as “an Oxford man."
His character has many rumors spread about him, one of them being that he has killed a man before.
A line that was said about his character is that “people don’t just come out of nowhere and buy a castle in Long Island.”
“Gatsby did.”
Tom Buchanan’s character, played by Levi Linn ‘23, is a bigoted man.
Tom believes in the importance of the Nordic race and their superiority.
Later on in the play, he has an argument with another character, Myrtle Wilson (Giovanna Rodriguez ‘24), with whom Tom is having an affair. Their argument is perfectly mirrored as told in the actual book. The scene was smooth and flowed very well.
Supporting actors in the show have an important role in setting scenes and making the audience feel more involved.
During dance and party scenes, these actors and actresses are in fancy bright colored, shiny, sequined dresses with extravagant headdresses.
They hold tall glasses of champagne or other beverages. They hold silent conversations that the audience couldn’t possibly make out, aside from gestures and nods that seem to be compliments paid towards an actress’s dress or hair style.
From the sides of the stages, the actors file in, one by one, gracefully stepping up onto a platform, taking up their assigned places. They laugh and smile. Their conversations are shown on their faces: confused looks, thinking, sleepy yawns, huge smiles and ‘lady-like’ laughs.
Some stare vacantly. This may be their character, who could be seen as drunk (during Prohibition) or uninterested in the party.
True to the 1920s era, the costumes of party-goers and side characters in the play are decked in sequins and flashy colors. Flapper dresses, headbands and plenty of pearl jewelry adorn the middle-class and "new money"characters, whereas those from “old money,” namely the Buchanans, and well as their acquaintances. Nick and Jordan, are dressed much more sophisticated to match the old, generational wealth they come from. Their style includes knee-length monochrome dresses, simple gold jewelry and cable knit sweaters.
During more relaxed and casual scenes, men wore a basic plaid or polo vest over a collared button-up long sleeve shirt with chino pants and loafers. Women wore modest half dresses with basic high heels. Men in the party scenes wore suits with black chino pants and loafers. Women in the party scenes wore sparkly half dresses with sparkly tiaras, jewelry, and high heels. Some wore sparkly red dresses while others wore black dresses with black flower prints all over it. Their costumes consisted of red and black headbands, some of which had one feather on it, either red or black.
Capturing the essence of more extravagant personalities, such as that of Myrtle Wilson, rich floral patterns and lace work are used heavily in conjunction with bold makeup, adding to the overall lavish aesthetic of “The Great Gatsby.”
Colors play an imperative role in the symbolism of characters and their mindsets regarding taboo topics and behaviors at the time.
Tom’s costume was made up of muted grays, whereas Gatsby, Tom’s counterpart in the story, dons a suit with brighter blues and brightly colored socks in varying shades. Nick, the narrator, is dressed in a combination of the two mindsets.
Since he is torn between the worlds of Gatsby and Tom, Nick’s costume consists first of a black and white checkered pattern, and later, a black suit with embroidered detailing. Both costumes create a sense of nuance and place Nick in the “gray area,” between sophisticated old money and extravagant new money.
When Jay Gatsby is first introduced, the lights dim but brighten as he appears on the set. Gold glitter around the large windows and a green billboard hangs over the stage that says “Dr. Eckleburg: Oculist" — implying that the eyes of God are looking down a moral wasteland.
Highlights from the set design include a 1920s decade theme with vintage couches and set props, Wilson’s fine painted garage with the colors of rust, and the yellow-theater lights that shine on the character’s scene. An amazing job by technical lights brought the attention to the center of the stage, especially the spotlight on Nick Carraway, as he narrates the story between scenes of the play.
The actors in La Quinta High School’s production of “The Great Gatsby” did an amazing job in their performance. Casting was excellent and the actors fit their roles well. The narration, done by Joaquin Cardenas ‘23, was executed very well. Those in charge of costumes, set and lighting made the environment inviting and had a reminiscence of the 1920s. The set was designed beautifully. Their play was very accurate to the book.