A thought provoking exploration of a literary classic, marvellously backlit by twenties era cabaret music
Presented by: Jennifer Byrne, Marieke Hardy, Virginia Gay and Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Reviewed: 16 June 2024
Former host of the ABC’s Book Club, Jennifer Byrne, hosted a cabaret style live panel discussion about F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby. Joined by author Marieke Hardy and Artistic Director of the Cabaret Festival, Virginia Gay, this inaugural Between the Covers session featured live music of the era from Mamma Alto and her band.
A show of hands from the sold out audience demonstrated at least 90 percent had read Gatsby and were ardent fans. Byrne recalled first reading it at her all girls boarding school; she’d lost her heart to the dreamscape, rolling around in the beauty of Fitzgerald’s language. The other two panellists also read Gatsby during their teens and likewise felt the beauty of its prose, complex characters and scope of story made a significant impact upon their young minds.
The perfect novel to reflect the glitz and glam of cabaret, the panellists delved into the myriad of themes that have contributed to Gatsby’s enduring popularity. In addition to their individual feelings about the book, they analysed why this particular novel has sparkled brightly for almost a century.
Between topics, Mamma Alto and her band transported the audience back to the roaring twenties with songs from the day, including Ain’t We Got Fun, a popular foxtrot from 1921 and the only song quoted in Gatsby. Other numbers showcased groovy base beats, the resonance of the grand piano and up-tempo tunes to which Gatsby, Nick, Daisy and Tom would have partied. These regular interludes provided a wonderful ambience authentic to Fitzgerald’s time.
While overall this was a fun and interesting session, some of the ‘big topics’ raised, such as class wars, racism and misogyny, suffered somewhat from interpretation through the twenty first century lens. Fitzgerald himself came under the microscope and fared a little poorly —apparently art and artist are not easy to separate. Gay also raised brows when she queried why none of the Gatsby movies had worked. The dissenting murmurs from the audience proved hers was not the prevailing view, especially after admitting she’d only seen the first 20 minutes of Baz Luhrmann’s film. Thankfully, Hardy called her out on this, suggesting 20 minutes was insufficient to be a self proclaimed expert.
A great addition to the Cabaret Festival program, it will be interesting to see which novel is selected for 2025, if indeed this was the first in a series. The fact that this show was sold out, and the audience so enthused, might perhaps prompt the ABC to consider returning Jennifer Byrne to her place as book queen of the screen. If not, I suggest getting your 2025 tickets early.
Reviewed by Samantha Bond
Photo credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: ended
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