Overview
When Baz Luhrmann decided to bring The Great Gatsby to the screen, he enlisted 2010s Sydney to double for 1920s Long Island and New York. Now, a decade after the Australian director's Oscar-winning movie hit cinemas, Sydney Opera House is following in the filmmaker's footsteps, turning itself into a The Great Gatsby-themed pop-up club while hosting a The Great Gatsby-inspired cabaret variety show.
From Saturday, December 16, 2023–Sunday, February 25, 2024, GATSBY at The Green Light will take over the Sydney Opera House's Studio 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 summer event's moniker refers to the entertainment, while The Green Light is the temporarily rebadged venue where what's being dubbed a "theatrical experience" will take place.
First, the show: taking its cues from F Scott Fitzgerald's text, which will also date back a century when 2025 hits, GATSBY gives the classic text the aerial, burlesque, dance and circus treatment. As performers show off their skills, live vocals will accompany their efforts, all on a glittering stage.
Then, the club: The Green Light will also owe a debt to prohibition-era speakeasies, and will feature cabaret tables for attendees to sit at while watching the performances. Canapé and cocktail packages will be on offer, with themed drinks including the Green Light gimlet, the Blind Tiger martini and the Reggio manhattan.
GATSBY at The Green Light hails from director Craig Ilott, who adds 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 at Sydney Opera House. With GATSBY co-producer Stuart Couzens, he was also involved in L'Hôtel, the dinner theatre experience which turned the exact same space into a French hotel with cabaret, circus and burlesque.
"Our treatment of GATSBY has been akin to that of a concept album; riffing on the essence of a familiar text through a new form to create an evocative experience," said Ilott, announcing GATSBY at The Green Light.
"We've taken elements entrenched in the 1920s — the vaudeville, the fashion, the hospitality — and remixed them with a bold 2020s beat, with the aim of creating an evening that feels both contemporary and captivating."
Hamilton Lund
L'Hotel, Claudio Raschella
L'Hotel, Claudio Raschella
GATSBY at The Green Light will take over the Sydney Opera House's Studio from Saturday, December 16, 2023–Sunday, February 25, 2024, with ticket pre sales from 8am on Wednesday, August 30 and general sales from 9am on Friday, September 1. Head to the Sydney Opera House website for more information.
Top image: Tom Oldham.