I went to see the Louisville Ballet’s production of The Great Gatsbythis afternoon. It was a spectacular production — and the only ballet I ever heard of where people talk! With the orchestra in the pit, I was taken aback when they used canned music for the party scene at Myrtle and Tom’s apartment, but it worked wonderfully. The orchestra could not have conveyed the sound of the Victrola. The ballet f
ollowed the book very well — even had a car on the stage to off Myrtle Wilson (which, really, is better than she deserves). The one element I did not like was the depiction of the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. In the novel the billboard has no face, and it dominates the scene. Fitzgerald describes them as: “blue and gigantic — their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.” But I’m nitpicking. Gatsby is my favorite novel, and Fitzgerald is my favorite author. I feel protective of his works — no really.
While it was by no means an empty house, the crowd seemed a little sparse. I’m not sure if it’s because of the UofL game or if there was some other reason the hall wasn’t at capacity this afternoon. Perhaps everyone went last night — as part of the trolley hop. Whatever the case, the dancers were superb as always, and I left feeling the joy I get every time I read the novel. Yes, it does have a very sad ending, but it’s so wonderfully crafted with character development and language command that enrapture me.
All the dancing made me hungry and thirsty, so I headed to the Pubfor a beer and a burger — very rare thank you. I had a bumblebee (Guinness and Boddingtons) with the sandwich, and then I threw caloric caution to the wind and had the trifle for desert (pound cake soaked in amaretto and caramelized pineapple served in an English custard). It’s quite grande. I had it with a pint of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. There’s a saying to the effect that the first pint is for health, the second for self, and the third’s for shame. I stopped with two. Now I guess I need to see who won the UofL game and get ready for church on Sunday.
