“The Ghosts of Gatsby” offers an operatic take on author’s life

Opera isn’t the signifier of the philharmonic look that instantly comes to caput erstwhile 1 thinks of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

But it turns retired that the affectional heft of opera meshes perfectly with the beingness of Fitzgerald, champion known arsenic the writer of “The Great Gatsby,” a caller of the idle and unhappy affluent acceptable during the Jazz Age.

For proof, cheque retired ”The Ghosts of Gatsby,” a enclosure opera to beryllium staged adjacent play by Opera Las Vegas that’s based connected events successful the beingness of Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, and has a publication based connected the couple’s words.

The opera volition beryllium presented Oct. 1-3 astatine The Space, 3460 Cavaretta Court. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2 and 3 p.m. Oct. 3. Tickets are $25 and $45 (operalasvegas.com).

“The Ghosts of Gatsby” volition footwear disconnected Opera Las Vegas’ 22nd season. James Sohre, wide manager of Opera Las Vegas, said the performances volition beryllium the archetypal of 4 West Coast premieres the institution has scheduled for this play and is portion of its Living Composers and Librettists Initiative.

Opera Las Vegas’ accumulation besides volition people the archetypal nonrecreational accumulation of “The Ghosts of Gatsby,” Sohre said. “It was entered into the National Opera Association enclosure opera contention and won successful 2019, and it received a pupil show oregon two, but hasn’t been professionally produced. So we’re excited and honored to contiguous it successful Las Vegas.”

The opera volition reacquaint viewers with an author, and a story, they whitethorn person work successful precocious schoolhouse but haven’t truly thought overmuch astir since.

“Everybody has an thought of what (the book) is astir — each that Jazz Age and spoiled affluent people,” Sohre said. “But it really explores the narration of Scott and Zelda, which was rather troubled, loving and erotic and sometimes precise competitive.”

The opera, by composer Evan Mack and librettist Joshua McGuire, places Scott and Zelda successful a edifice chamber connected the French Riviera successful 1924. Fitzgerald is struggling to decorativeness “The Great Gatsby” and jealous of Zelda’s imaginable extramarital affair, portion Zelda is frustrated by a controlling Scott.

“It’s a precise theatrical presentation,” Sohre said. “It’s each precise clever and precise theatrically compelling.”

The opening of the opera comes from “the Fitzgerald songbook, euphony that was fashionable during the Jazz Age, a benignant of boy-meets-girl, love-lost, those themes successful operatic style,” Sohre said, but “it sets you up for the punch” by offering “a premonition of Zelda’s impending insanity.”

“I don’t deliberation radical recognize the calamity of their life. They cognize the calamity successful ‘The Great Gatsby’ but don’t truly cognize the grade of the tragic arc (of) Scott and Zelda’s lives, and that’s grist for opera.”

Contact John Przybys astatine jprzybys@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JJPrzybys connected Twitter.