Theatrical Epic Gatz Extends a Final Time at the Public Theater

Gatz, the marathon theater piece adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, has extended its return engagement at the Public Theater through May 13. Directed by John Collins and featuring Scott Shepherd as Nick, this production was originally scheduled to conclude on May 6. Gatz began its initial run at the off-Broadway venue on September 26, 2010, and extended twice before closing on November 28.

Gatz was created and developed by the Elevator Repair Service ensemble, which includes Laurena Allan (Myrtle), Frank Boyd (George), Jim Fletcher (Jim), Ross Fletcher (Henry C. Gatz), Mike Iveson (Ewing), Vin Knight (Chester), Annie McNamara (Catherine), Kate Scelsa (Lucille), Scott Shepherd (Nick), Susie Sokol (Jordan), Victoria Vazquez (Daisy), Ben Williams (Michaelis), and Gary Wilmes (Tom).

Gatz is described as a two-part, six-and-a-half-hour theatrical event, taking 13 actors and the audience through every word of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. A small business employee finds a copy of the book in the clutter of his desk, starts to read it out loud and doesn’t stop. At first his co-workers hardly notice, but after a series of strange coincidences, it’s no longer clear whether he’s reading the book or the book is transforming him.