Gatsby adaptations announced by King’s Head & Wilton’s

Two new stage versions of the The Great Gatsby have recently been announced, following hot on the heels of news that Gatz, an eight-hour interpretation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, will transfer from New York to the West End this summer.

Wilton’s Music Hall is staging a site-specific adaptation in April, while The King’s Head in Islington will present a musical version in August.

The Wilton’s production, which is adapted and directed Peter Joucla, will be staged throughout the historic venue, with rooms decked out to recreate the “glitz and decadence of the period”. Running from 25 April to 19 May (previews from 20 April), it invites audience members to wear “20s best” in honour of the story’s post-war, pre-depression setting.

At the King’s Head, audiences can look forward to a musical interpretation by Joe Evans and Linnie Reedman (who also directs).

The production, which runs from 10 August to 1 September (previews from 7 August), forms part of the venue’s ‘Year of the Flapper’, which will also see the revival of a yet-to-be-announced “major” 1920s work.

First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby centres on mysterious Long Island millionaire Jay Gatsby and his circle of wealthy friends. The story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a young war veteran who rents a house adjacent to Gatsby’s mansion.

Fitzgerald died in 1940, meaning that the rights to the novel recently passed into the public domain. A major new film adaptation directed by Baz Luhrmann is due for release later this year, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.