'The Great Gatsby'-Inspired Cabaret and Pop-Up Club 'GATSBY at The Green Light' Is Returning to Sydney Opera House
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic text with drinks, plus a show that gives the book the cabaret and variety treatment.
Sydney is set to double for 1920s Long Island and New York — again. When Baz Luhrmann (Elvis) decided to bring The Great Gatsby to the screen, he did so by filming in the Harbour City. Then, a decade after the Australian director's Oscar-winning movie hit cinemas, a The Great Gatsby-themed club popped up in town host a The Great Gatsby-inspired cabaret variety show. Cut to 2025 and that event, aka GATSBY at The Green Light, has a return to the New South Wales capital locked in, kicking off in December.
Once more, Sydney Opera House is following in Luhrmann's footsteps, with GATSBY at The Green Light making its Harbour City comeback between between Saturday, December 13, 2025–Sunday, March 15, 2026. The production will take over the venue with an array of excuses to pretend that it's a century ago — and that you're on the other side of the globe. The GATSBY part of the big event's moniker refers to the entertainment, while The Green Light is the temporarily rebadged locale where this party-esque experience will occur.
First, the show: taking its cues from F Scott Fitzgerald's book, which is marking its 100th anniversary in 2025, GATSBY gives the classic text the aerial, burlesque, dance and circus treatment. As performers show off their skills, live contemporary music accompanies their efforts.
Odette will be crooning, Oscar Kaufmann is set to do hat stands, Miranda Menzies will play with fire and show off her hair-hang skills, Bayley Graham will tap dance, Florian Brooks will juggle and Bettie Bombshell is part of the fun, too. Spencer Craig is playing Gatsby, as is Jacob McPherson in the character's younger guise, while Mariia Borysiak is Daisy.
Then, the club: The Green Light gleans inspiration from prohibition-era speakeasies. Yes, drinks are involved. Indeed, while you watch, you'll be able to say cheers to the entertainment with a beverage in hand.
When it initially hit the stage at the Sydney Opera House — which hosted a sellout season — GATSBY at The Green Light hailed from director Craig Ilott, who added the event to his resume alongside Smoke & Mirrors, La Clique Royale at Edinburgh Festival's The Famous Spiegeltent, and also American Idiot, Amadeus and Velvet Rewired. With GATSBY co-producer Stuart Couzens, he was also involved in L'Hôtel, the dinner theatre experience which turned the exact same Sydney space into a French hotel with cabaret, circus and burlesque.
"GATSBY at The Green Light is an experience we hope to be more than the sum of its parts — extraordinary aerial displays, awe-inspiring
vocals, contemporary music and terrific choreography melded together into a party designed to reunite a great love story," says Ilott.
"The allure of the world of GATSBY, combined with that of the Sydney Opera House, ensured its premiere season was a smash hit and we can't wait for this evocative experience to return with an even stronger version of the show."
Added Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Performance Ebony Bott, "GATSBY at The Green Light draws you into a world of intrigue and refined decadence — and is a truly spectacular night out! The sell-out success of its premiere season proves audiences remain
captivated by Gatsby's glamour, and we're delighted to once again extend the most coveted invitation of the season."
GATSBY at The Green Light will take over Sydney Opera House's Studio, between Saturday, December 13, 2025–Sunday, March 15, 2026. Head to the venue's website for tickets and further details.
Images: Daniel Boud / Prudence Upton / Anna Kucera.
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