A peek into The Guild Of Misrule’s immersive hit in London

On a cold winter’s night, I find myself walking in the shadow of The Shard, one of Central London’s newer landmarks. Through the streets we wander, until we find ourselves outside an unassuming warehouse. We greet the man standing by the door cordially and give our names. We are quickly ushered through the entrance into a secretive room; then instructions are whispered to us and we suddenly find ourselves in a decadent lair.

Surrounded by a flock of well-dressed ladies and gentlemen, we find ourselves in a well-lit speakeasy, with lines of bottles are the wall. A dapper-looking gentleman approaches and asks the person next to me whether they have any words of advice, any sayings that their family has. He asks another patron, and seems to take their responses on board. Suddenly, he is standing on top of a table, and addresses the crowd.

“In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.

‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember all the people in this world who haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’”

A large side door, previously unnoticed, slides open, and a ballroom materializes in the darkness. Standing high above it all, looking down on all of us as we enter into his domain stands an imposing figure in his white three piece suit.

There he stands, The Great Gatsby.

I am almost ashamed to share quite how much time it took for me to get ready for tonight’s ambitious New Year’s Eve party. Having decided that we would take their suggestion to dress up (because of course we would), it was a matter of deliberating to what extent we would enter into the theatricality.

My girlfriend and I were visiting London at Christmas. While she had the single dress which she had brought with her, I was confounded by the possibilities of my previously abandoned wardrobe, having moved to New York City almost two years prior. Walking through London in our over-the-top outfits, we worried it would be only the two of us who decided to whole-heartedly enter into the theme for the evening. But I was most pleased to find almost the entirety of tonight's audience have also entered into the spirit of the evening, as sparkling flapper dresses and handsome suits abound.

A feather boa grazes my arm as we enter into the ballroom. While Gatsby stares down at us, we are greeted by a wide range of additional characters. Elaborate, as yet unseen, smaller rooms surround the main ballroom, which acts as the focal point of the evening. Throughout the performance, we are taken off to one of the many surrounding rooms, but we almost always find ourselves back to the ballroom for the continuation of the main story.

I suddenly find myself whisked off into a side room with Thomas “Tom” Buchanan. Tom delights in sharing all of the sordid details of his recent exploits with one Miss Myrtle Wilson. Nick Carroway, the man who had addressed us so eloquently at the beginning of the evening, finds himself in the room as well, but is clearly embarrassed by the explicit level of detail that Tom is willing to share. This embarrassment is shared with the audience, as those of us privy to the conversation are asked for our advice, advice on how to stop the affair, or for more, well, “adult” advice. (More than one blushed face can be counted around this boudoir as I look around.)

As we branch off into these separate side stories, the choices that the audience makes with the characters will have subtle consequences for the remainder of the evening. It may be as simple as a particular item of clothing being selected by these side-committees for Gatsby to wear (which Daisy may then comment on later), Or perhaps Nick will act upon the advice he was given by his cohort of audience members, hopefully to some positive outcome regarding his romantic interest, Jordan. When the main characters meet again, these subtle changes give the confidants a sense of belonging to the production, rather than merely viewing it.

The actors often call upon the audience: questioning them, bantering with them, and bringing them into the world of The Great Gatsby. There is nowhere to hide from the actors (or the rest of the audience for that matter) when answering a pointed question. One poor soul in the audience who mentioned that he had studied at Cambridge was lovingly but mercilessly ribbed throughout the evening by Oxford-graduate Gatsby, who would check in periodically to make sure he was “still following along OK.”

It is in the ballroom that we witness Gatsby nervously telling Nick how he wants the room to be arranged for his afternoon tea with Daisy, nitpicking every detail — including the tablecloth as selected by an audience member, who is instructed to also play the role of the “table” whilst they arrange the room. Later on, this tableaux is where we witness Tom and Gatsby stare each other down over Daisy’s affections, circling each other, Tom like a rabid dog trying to catch Gatsby, the wily fox, who seems to have all the clever answers and sharp retorts. (Spoiler: this is also where our story meets its tragic end.)

The Great Gatsby is an American tale, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece scrutinizing the decadence of the 1920’s, looking prophetically at the idea of the great American dream. Here though, Gatsby is presented with more than a little British sensibility. The performance never verges on pantomime (a traditional British theater delight which is almost impossible to describe), but there is a distinct whiff of British humor and theatricality throughout. The razzing and cajoling of audience members turns us into participants and brings us into the production — at times quite literally when performing the role of a table or chair at Gatsby’s whim. Similarly, this version of The Great Gatsby is at times a quite light-hearted affair, with jovial toasting of glasses, impromptu swing dances, and a singer crooning well into the night, in contrast to the many serious immersive pieces that abound.

Whilst staying true to the well known and well-loved story, the production has taken its own direction with the work, making an immersive theatrical experience with its own distinct personality, one which invites the audience in to be a co-conspirator in the frivolities.

I, for one, know that I will be seeking out another invite to one of Gatsby’s fantastic parties.

The Great Gatsby continues through July 2018 in London. Tickets are £31–34.

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