We spoke with Frances Mayli McCann, Rachel Tucker and Amber Davies…
This International Women’s Day, we’re looking to the ladies of Long Island!
The Great Gatsby arrives in London next month, taking the great American novel from page to stage.
As we discussed with book writer Kait Kerrigan, this adaptation allowed her to spotlight the female characters, away from Nick’s lens.
She said: “For me, the women in the story didn’t have the same depth as some male characters. I was excited to start to dive into that and look for moments where we could see the women on stage by themselves without Nick’s perspective on it.”
“It’s about time, too!” starts Rachel Tucker, who will be playing the ambitious, but trapped Myrtle, seeking a better life higher up the social ladder, in the new musical. “There are very few musicals that have women up front and centre leading it,” she explains.
The former Elpahaba references Wicked as one of the few shows to do it.
Frances Mayli McCann, the West End’s Daisy Buchanan, a desired, but misunderstood, socialite commented: “I think it’s easy to fall into the trap with women at the time being held against limitations, that they were quite boring.
“But actually Daisy’s got a lot of passion and drive and she’s very daring. She is in a marriage and has a baby, but gives it all up to be with Gatsby. So I’d love to play more to that side of her.”
Preparing to play the mysterious, but highly intelligent, Jordan Baker, Amber Davies added: “It’s crazy because every one of us suits our characters so much,” She’s a big fan of the 2013 Great Gatsby movie directed by Baz Luhrmann, and its cast, which included Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher. “Especially Rachel. Rachel is such a strong woman!”
“Even in the 1920s, there were very strong female characters so it’s exciting to show that,” Tucker says.
“I like the fact that Myrtle makes the decision to leave her husband when she’s unhappy,” she adds, “It’s not my life, and nor do I want it to be, but I love being able to portray that side of a woman who in that time would have been very oppressed.”
Now the cast is deep in rehearsals, the three performers are excited to see how they develop their characters on stage. “The more you do the show, the more you get out of the character,” explains McCann.
Davies adds: “We’re so lucky to get to introduce the characters and the story to a new generation!”