Now in the public domain, this sparkling adaptation of The Great Gatsby beautifully captures the glamour of the Roaring 20s and all the iconic moments of the beloved American classic.  Playwright Gary Peterson has done it once again with this very accessible, 75-minute adaptation that — with limited set and costume requirements — is perfect for high schools, colleges, and community theatres.  Productions can be as simple or as elaborate as your budget and your vision allow.  Musical suggestions are not required but can add even more flavor of the 1920s to your production. 

A self-made millionaire, Jay Gatsby’s desire for wealth, popularity, and power in the Jazz Age hides a deeper passion:  his love for Daisy, the woman he met and fell for years ago, but who has since married wealthy, hulking browbeater Tom Buchanan.  When Daisy’s cousin, Nick Carraway, happens to become Gatsby’s unwitting neighbor, he soon finds himself to be a liaison between Gatsby and Daisy. 

With the watchful eyes of Dr. Eckleburg’s deteriorating billboard looming overhead, Nick narrates this tragic story of thwarted love, exposing how wealth, materialism, and decaying moral values corrupted the American dream amidst the opulence and dance parties of the 1920s.