The decadence and glamour of The Great Gatsby is coming to London!
London is all of a flutter. In a “Roaring 20s,” Charlestony, sequined-fringe’d-flapper-dress sort of flutter. On May 16th Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby will be released. Judging by past successes, like Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge, his movie depiction of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s glamour and decadence on Long Island in the summer of 1922 promises to be a lush spectacle indeed. Just take a gander at the preview …
But what on earth has this got to do with London? Lurhmann’s an Australian and Long Island is ever so slightly closer to New York than it is Britain’s fair capital. Well, there are a couple of connections:
- The character Gatsby affects an English accent in Fitzgerald’s book. That’s how cool us Brits were in 1922. The Americans wanted to sound like us. How flattering.
- The actress Carey Mulligan, who plays Gatsby’s love interest Daisy Buchanan, is not only English but is a London girl.
Carey Mulligan. Beautiful, brilliant and British.
Marvelous. With this in mind I would like to point out a couple of events of relevant interest to those of you in London.
The Great Gatsby at Brooks Brothers in London
On the off chance you’re shopping on Regent Street, THE hub of London’s West End Shopping district, do pop in to Brooks Brothers at 150 Regent Street. Yes, yes. I know they are American tailors of great repute and quality who dressed the great and the good of 1920s America, but they also dressed all the chaps in the upcoming Gatsby movie. And that includes the rather swoon-worthy Leo DiCaprio. Oh my.
A swoon-worthy Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby
And at the Regent Street store some of the dashing Brooks Brother ensembles in the company of some delicious flapper dresses worn by the actors are enjoying a small exhibition. Stunning, simply stunning. We sauntered along (or was it shimmied?) recently and here are a few photos to wet your appetite!
Costumes from Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby on display at Brooks Brothers on Regent Street in London
Of course there must be champagne!
The elegance of the 1920s at Brooks Brothers
Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby in London
Should being in the presence of this sequined loveliness not be enough to sate your thirst for all things “Roaring” and “20s” then I suggest you pop along to Sadler’s Wells. May 14-18 the Northern Ballet are presenting a version of The Great Gatsby that will be a wonderful confection of traditional ballet and well, lots of “Roaring” and “20s.”
Northern Ballet dancers in David Nixon’s The Great Gatsby. Photo Bill Cooper.
Northern Ballet dancers Tobias Batley (Jay Gatsby) and Martha Leebolt (Daisy Buchanan) in David Nixon’s The Great Gatsby. Photo Bill Cooper.
The music, gorgeous costumes and David Nixon’s beautiful choreography bring Fitzgerald’s book to life in a seductive and completely entertaining way. Here’s the preview trailer to set the scene and tempt you even more!
Gosh. After all that I think it might be time to don the glad rags and get ready for a proper knees up at Prohibition, London’s premiere night of hedonistic decadence. Or maybe pin down the location of the pop-up speakeasy that is the Candlelight Club.
Either way, let there be champagne and vodka martinis. Hooray!
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Zoë F. Willis is a writer and enthusiastic London resident. You can read more about her adventures and creative exploits at https://thingswotihavemade.blogspot.co.uk/
Image Credits: Charleston by Yva, Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby by Warner Bros., Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby by Warner Bros., Brooks Brothers photos by Zoë F. Willis, Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby
