Tenth anniversary revival of Northern Ballet's popular adaptation of The Great Gatsby

Set in New York’s Long Island in the 1920s, it tells the story of Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic millionaire with a secret past who hosts a seemingly never-ending series of extravagant parties at his well-appointed mansion, all in the hope of proving himself worthy of his first true love, Daisy Fay, who he fell in love with when he was a young officer. His generous hospitality hides a longing for that simpler time and the love he once had and has now lost. When, through his new neighbour Nick Carraway, Gatsby meets Daisy again – who is now married to Tom Buchanan – sparks fly and it sets off a train of complicated events with ultimately devastating consequences.

It is a supremely intelligent adaptation. While it certainly doesn’t hold back from ramping up the glitz and glamour – there are plenty of joyful, exuberant Jazz Age party scenes in Gatsby’s splendid home, it does not ignore the darker elements of the novel such as Gatsby’s possibly criminal activities, the deceit and cruelty, the arrogant behaviour of the wealthy elite and the gap between rich and poor.

For this anniversary revival, Northern Ballet principal dancer Joseph Taylor is taking on the role of Gatsby, which he played for the first time on tour last year, but his connection with the production goes back to its beginnings. He joined the company in 2012 as a young dancer, fresh out of ballet school. “It was my first season with the company and the first ballet I was involved in so I was watching the creation of it and got to learn all about how Northern Ballet works,” he says. “I was playing one of the butlers so I was mostly moving scenery around and serving drinks to people in the Charleston party scene. It was exciting but also nerve-wracking – when it is your first year, you don’t want to do anything wrong or ruin the show.”

Since then, Taylor has been involved in the production every time it has been performed and each time has been given a new opportunity and a different role to tackle. “It has been a test for me and has shown me what I am capable of,” he says. “I went from being a butler to dancing the Charleston, then I played George Wilson, then Tom Buchanan and last year, I got to play Jay Gatsby for the first time. It has been an interesting process going up through the ranks of the company, building up to being the main character. That feels like quite an achievement and I can see how far I have come in that time.”

In preparation for the role of Gatsby, Taylor spent time exploring versions of the story, including Baz Luhrmann’s movie adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy which was released in cinemas the same year that the ballet premiered. “That was a great way of getting into the story and I also watched the 1970s film with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow,” says Taylor. “Then as I have come closer to playing the role of Gatsby, I have delved into the book and that is the best starting point really because it enables the reader to form their own opinion of the characters who are quite complex and whose motivations are sometimes difficult to understand. Going back to the text and having seen the ballet before, I can see that the adaptation is really close to the book.”

Part of the enduring appeal of The Great Gatsby is due to the fact that the 1920s still hold a fascination for us – a time of decadence and high spirits after the terrible darkness of the First World War. A century on, there are perhaps modern-day resonances in some of the story’s strands. “It’s not always in a positive way,” says Taylor. “The selfishness, greed and determination to get what you want, regardless of how that affects other people.” Love, desire, loss and regret are central to the narrative too, all universal themes. “At its heart it is a love story,” says Taylor. “And that’s something people can relate to.”

At Leeds Grand Theatre, March 8-18, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, March 21-25.