‘Gatz’ — six hours, every F. Scott Fitzgerald word — coming to Berkeley Rep
Ever lose yourself in a good novel?
That’s what happens in “Gatz,” the internationally acclaimed retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” that’s coming to the Bay Area for the first time.
From Feb. 13 to March 1, Berkeley Repertory Theatre will host the Obie award-winning theater company Elevator Repair Service that first produced this show in 2006 and has performed it to rave reviews since.
The setting is an office where an anonymous office worker finds a copy of the classic novel on his desk one day and starts reading it out loud. What follows is a six-hour enactment — with his co-workers playing parts — that’s been described as an epic achievement in the theater.
“This could be mere event theatre gimmickry or mind-gnawingly boring, but every aspect of the production is so brilliantly conceived and executed that all doubts are overcome,” the Independent of London said in its review.
“Gatz” is performed in one day with a two-hour meal break and two shorter intermissions. John Collins, the founder and artistic director of the Elevator troupe, will direct this production.
Details: Originally scheduled to end Feb. 23, the run has been extended for three performances, through March 1, because of high demand. Tickets are $125 (or $115 for theater-goers under 35). 510-647-2949; 2015 Addison St., Berkeley; www.berkeleyrep.org
— Linda Zavoral, Staff