The Great Gatsby Immersive Experience, a stone’s throw away from Bond Street, was visited by students from Dame Alice Owen’s School in December, to consolidate their learning of Fitzgerald’s text in A Level English Literature. In this article, we see how the students were transported back a century into a world of indulgence, wealth and all that jazz.

 

Embarking on the journey into central London, we all knew we had a long night ahead of us: one that was sure to be filled with laughter, dancing, and thrills. We received many funny glances on the tube on our way to the theatre, as we readied ourselves for a trip to the past, donning feathered headbands, sequined dresses and dapper suits. It was almost time to explore the 1920s.

 

Located at Gatsby’s Mansion, the Great Gatsby Immersive Experience is the longest running immersive theatre experience in London, since its entry onto the theatrical scene in 2017 at the Vaults Festival, and upon visiting it is not difficult to see why.

 

As we entered the mansion we were quickly ushered upstairs by Gatsby’s associate Rosy Rosenthal, who explained how our night out would work, prompting us to excitedly come up with our personas for the evening. We discarded our 21st century selves, and emerged as confident and sophisticated flappers, following Daisy’s lead in the show, with floral names such as Violet, Lily and Daffy (short for Daffodil).

 

Although the show had a two hour and thirty minute running time, the minutes flew by. We started with an impromptu dance class led by Jordan Baker (played by the brilliant Jessica Hern) who showed us how to do the charleston as we danced around the parlour, with jazz music blaring whilst the lights turned down low. We had successfully entered the “hedonistic world of red hot rhythms” (as the website reads) and descended into “pure jazz age self-indulgence.”

 

Whilst we danced, some students were ushered by characters into separate rooms, for example Daisy’s dressing room to pick the dress she would wear at Gatsby’s party, or into a living room to bear witness to Tom and Myrtle’s fight. 

 

As students, the opportunity to see the events and characters we had thoroughly read, annotated and studied, brought to life was fascinating. In fact, student Emilia Pantelides remarked that the trip “really consolidated my learning and helped me immerse myself in the affluent culture of the 1920s” showing its effect.

 

I am sure that the experience will not be forgotten by all who were lucky enough to attend. The veritable intensity and brilliance of the acting, most notably Gatsby’s (Elliot Liburd) and Jordan’s (Jessica Hern) sorrow and melancholy at the end of the production was almost tangible, creating an atmosphere like no other, where as we turned to laughter and joy, we also found fear and devastation, encapsulating the work of Fitzgerald.

 

The production closes on the 7th of January 2023, so quickly grab your tickets now. This is an experience not to be missed.