The Great Gatsby to reopen in October as 1920s masquerade ball

UPDATE: Full casting for The Great Gatsby has been named. Craig Hamilton will play Gatsby, Lucinda Turner will play Daisy, James Lawrence will play Nick, Dean Graham will play Tom, Lucas Jones will play George Wilson, Ivy Corbin will play Jordan, MJ Lee will play Myrtle Wilson, Hugh Stubbins will play Rosy Rosenthal, Aimee Barrett will play Lucille and Alex Wingfield will play Joey.

Performances of The Great Gatsby are set to reopen from 1st October, as the show's producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook have reset the production in line with government social distancing regulations. The production will be set as an art deco masquerade ball, with all audience members required to wear masks and gloves.

Hartshorn and Hook said "We want to offer something for people to look forward to following this extended lockdown. Our show has several inherent features that make it safer than a trip to the supermarket, so we're embracing that and innovating. Hopefully we can provide a blueprint for other productions to open safely and be part of the process of restoring employment and the economy of the creative industries."

The capacity of the venue will be significantly reduced in order to aid audience members staying at a safe distance from one another. Show content is also being updated to avoid high-risk activity, with actors ensuring that groups are kept apart from one another. Temperature checks will also be compulsory for all audience members and staff, with deep cleaning taking place inside the venue before and after every performance.

Based on the F Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby follows Jay Gatsby as he hosts one of his infamous parties. Opening in February 2017, The Great Gatsby had previously set a record as Britain's longest-running immersive production, transferring to the West End last year.

The Great Gatsby is planning to reopen in the West End, with performances from 1st October.

Save up to 36% on The Great Gatsby tickets with LondonTheatre.co.uk.

^{Photo credit: Sam Taylor}