Walking through the manicured landscapes of the Greystone Mansion, Mixed eMotion Theatrix recreates the extravagance and class struggles depicted in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s famous novel published in 1925, exactly 100 years ago.
Since this is a dance performance with no dialogue, the audience should be familiar with the novel or the films, otherwise, the scenes won’t make sense. This is a brief description of the story:
Nick relocates to New York to work as a bond salesman. He rents a bungalow next to the mansion owned by Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who throws extravagant parties. Gatsby is in love with Nick’s cousin, Daisy, but she is married to Tom, a white supremacist millionaire. Tom has an affair with Myrtle, a woman married to George, a mechanic. In the story, Nick lives in the wealthy neighborhood of West Egg, where he is trying to fit. George and Myrtle live in the poor neighborhood of East Egg.
I hope my three readers get the condensed version of the story. Likewise, Gatsby Redux is a short version of the novel. Due to the changing of locations from scene to scene, the whole story has to be shortened. The Greystone is also a large state, so it takes time to go from one location to the next. Part of the experience is to walk around and enjoy the breathtaking architecture and green areas this mansion has to offer, so every scene is set in a different area of the house.
One of the most spectacular numbers is where Goddess (Jaqueline Hinton) and company start the lavish soirée in the opening ceremony, a dazzling flow of dance and movement.
With a combination of dance styles such as Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and burlesque, this production offers a sizzling display of sexiness and kinetic storytelling. At times, the dancers are right next to you, making this staging a truly immersive experience. With the skills of the dancers and experience of the creative team, Gatsby Redux achieves to convey the complicated nature of human relationships depicted in the novel. Even a dog in the audience reacted when Tom (Andrii Strelkivskyi) slapped Myrtle (Sarah Wines)—the canine was on a leash, fortunately.
In this production, the audience helps to move the story forward, literally. With spectacular city views as a background, the change of scenes becomes a shared experience between performers and audience, adding an air of complicity to the ambiance.
Colorful birds, playful geckos, and other creatures hiding behind the lush vegetation of the Greystone Mansion observe from a distance the exciting recreation of the roaring 20s, an era that offered both great hopes of the American Dream and a reality check of the insidious effects of class struggle.
Gatsby Redux
Greystone Mansion
905 Loma Vista Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
June 5 – June 14, 2025 @ 7:00 PM
Thursday, June 5; Friday, June 6; Saturday, June 7; Sunday, June 8; Wednesday, June 11 (special “Pride Night” performance); Thursday, June 12; Friday, June 13 & Saturday, June 14, both inside and outside of the historic Greystone Mansion.
Tickets: beverlyhills.org/1327/Gatsby-Redux
Mixed eMotion Theatrix creative team: Janet Roston, Artistic Director/Choreographer. Ryan Bergmann, Executive Director. Joe LaRue, Producer. Sarah Mullis, Marketing Director. Kate Coleman, Associate Choreographer. Mixed eMotion Theatrix.
Dancers: Tiffany Wolff (Daisy Buchanan), Timothy Lewis (Jay Gatsby), Andrii Strelkivskyi (Tom Buchanan), Sarah Wines (Myrtle Wilson), Donny Collinson (Nick Carraway), Alana Gregory (Jordan Baker), Natalie Oga (Catherine, Ensemble), Jaqueline Hinton (Goddess, Ensemble), Melissa Barrow (Ensemble), Nick Young (Ensemble), Deven Fuller (Nick/Tom Swing).
