Northern Ballet to stage American classic The Great Gatsby at the Grand Opera House, Belfast

Coming to Belfast next month is a true classic…

Northern Ballet’s new full length production, The Great Gatsby, will be performed at the Grand Opera House from Wednesday 10th until Saturday 13th April. With choreography, direction and costumes by Artistic Director David Nixon OBE, co-direction by Patricia Doyle and sets by Jerôme Kaplan, the production promises to be a stunning retelling of one of the most compelling stories of the twentieth century.

The Great Gatsby had its world premiere in Leeds on 2 March and will be an adaptation of the novel by F Scott Fitzgerald. On New York’s Long Island, in the heady, indulgent days of the 1920s, Nick Caraway comes to know his infamous neighbour Jay Gatsby – a mysterious millionaire with a secret past and a penchant for lavish parties. As the sparkling façade of Gatsby’s world begins to slip Caraway comes to see the loneliness, obsession and tragedy that lie beneath.

Creating new full length ballets is a mission of Northern Ballet’s and furthers the Company’s efforts to bring new audiences to dance. David Nixon is prolific in creating new work and The Great Gatsby is his fourteenth new ballet for Northern Ballet, where he has been Artistic Director since 2001. It follows on from his most recent successes, Beauty & the Beast and Cleopatra, both of which premièred in 2011.

The current ‘Gatsby craze’ has seen a surge of popularity in the classic American novel with Gatsby inspired fashion on the catwalks, stage productions in London and the much anticipated Hollywood movie due to be released this year.

David said, ‘The Great Gatsby is a real American classic from an iconic era. The roaring twenties were a time of exuberance, indulgence, resilience, fashion, dancing and jazz. The story has everything for the makings of a great ballet: a love triangle, decadence, desperation and heartbreak.

I am proud of the fact that as a Company we produce and tour more new full-length work than any other ballet company in the UK. Producing The Great Gatsby shows we tap into current trends, creating work audiences have an interest in at present.’

Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby runs at the Grand Opera House from Wednesday 10th until Saturday 13th April. Tickets start at £9.25 and can be purchased online at www.goh.co.uk, via telephone on 9024 1919 or in person at the theatre Box Office located in the foyer.

Production Credits:
The Great Gatsby
Choreography, Direction, Scenario, Costume Design: David Nixon
Co Direction, Scenario: Patricia Doyle
Set Design: Jerôme Kaplan
Lighting Design: Tim Mitchell
Music: Sir Richard Rodney Bennett