Crafton Hills College’s Theatre Program rolls back the clock to the ‘Gatsby’-era 1920s
Publish Date: Dec. 8, 2024
The year is 1922, and Jay Gatsby’s extravagant parties are the talk of the town. But when the party’s over and the lights are dimmed, all that glitters isn’t gold.
Crafton Hills College’s theatre program staged an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” Dec. 6-8, turning the Finkelstein Performing Arts Center into a setting for the Roaring ‘20s-themed production.
Eight novice actors, along with Crafton stage veterans and a live jazz band, brought Fitzgerald’s classic novel to life. It was selected and directed by Department Chair Paul Jacques, who selected the piece to challenge his students, while also exploring themes of classism, obsession, and murder.
“’Gatsby’ is far from a love story. It’s about ‘possession’ and ‘getting,’” said Jacques. “It’s very much set in the American Boom when things were more important than relationships.”
The F. Scott Fitzgerald novel “Gatsby” was released in 1925 and has since been adapted for the stage, film, and television. Its main character, Nick Carraway, shares his experience navigating the social scene of Long Island, New York, with the audience through first-person narration.
He soon reconnects with his cousin, Daisy, who is married to fellow Yale alum Tom Buchanan. Nick then meets Jordan Baker, a flapper and golf champion, who reveals Tom and Daisy’s secrets, such as Tom is keeping a mistress while Daisy turns a blind eye.
Later, Nick is invited to meet Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who uses Nick to stage a reunion with his long-lost love, Daisy, but the romance is not meant to be, nor is Nick’s fascination with New York.
“You really don’t know who the ‘good guys’ are because at the end of the story, we really don’t know who Jay Gatsby is,” Jacques explained. “The only real genuine person in the show is Nick. He comes to New York because it’s ‘flashier’ than the Midwest and leaves because he’s sick of it.”
The title character of Gatsby was played by William Merrigan, while Daisy and Tom were played by Sidney Pulido and Roe McCarty, respectively. Rounding out the rest of the cast were Marisa Yanez as Myrtle Wilson, Alyssa Linnemann as Jordan Baker, Zachery Vazquez as George Wilson, Olivia Papp as Mrs. McKee, Alexander Padilla as Meyer Wolfsheim, Karlos McGee and Ariel Martinez as Wolfsheim Thugs, and Shea Meager-Cannis as Mr. McKee.
Ismael Sanchez, an 18-year-old theatre major from Yucaipa, made his Finkelstein debut in the role of Nick Carraway, a character that struck his interest from his first script read. “The thing that really made me want to be Nick was his innocence,” he said. “Not only that, I could apply most of my current situations—a new school, new people I’m meeting, and not being exposed to a college setting yet—I could bring a lot of my own personal experiences into Nick, his innocence, and his viewpoint.
“It was truly a great experience,” said Sanchez.
