European Debut of F. Scott Fitzgerald's THE LAST TYCOON to Transfer to the Tabard Theatre
By: BWW News Desk Sep. 14, 2016
Direct from a limited run in the West End, F. Scott Fitzgerald's final novel is adapted for the Tabard stage depicting the heady days of the 1930's glamorous Hollywood scene.
It opens on the 4th October and runs until the 22nd - performances Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30 pm.
It's the golden age of Hollywood and Monroe Stahr is obsessed with his latest movie project. Pat Brady knows it will lose money so is just as determined to kill the project.
Ruby In The Dust are returning to the Tabard Theatre this October with their take on F Scott Fitzgerald's final work; The Last Tycoon: the story of a movie producer slowly working his way to death in a world darkened by the Depression and the rising passion of the screen-writers' unions.
"He has the power to make anyone's dreams come true... except his own." When an earthquake nearly destroys the studio, an enigmatic and mysterious Englishwoman steps out of the wreckage. Is she the one to save Stahr? Or will his latest obsession finally destroy him?
As in Fitzgerald's seminal work, The Great Gatsby, the central character is something of a tragic figure. Monroe Stahr, the "Boy Wonder", is a man obsessed: with movies, with illusion, with the memory of his dead wife and with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The story follows Stahr's rise to power in Hollywood, and his conflicts with rival Pat Brady (based on prominent studio head Louis B. Mayer) - a man desperate to kill Monroe's dreams... particularly his dream of making his "Shakespeare Picture". A timely reminder, particularly in the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, that art should be there to give people hope, and that profits aren't the be-all and end-all.
Ironically, F Scott Fitzgerald died before he completed his masterly study of Hollywood in its heyday, born out of his own frustrations with the way writers were treated - including himself. It is his final, poignant farewell to the Great American Dream - a bittersweet love affair set in a never-never land: 1930s - The Golden Age of Hollywood.
With music from the period and a mixture of period and original film footage, this tale evokes the nostalgia of a lost age and lost dreams. A journey into the literal and metaphorical heart of a great man. The tragedy of a man obsessed...
With over twelve productions under its belt, Ruby in the Dust (www.rubyinthedusttheatre.com) has built a brand that easily includes both West End sites and shows on the fringe since its creation in 2007. Winning raves for their musical shows, the stamp of authenticity that they place on every production is simultaneously true to its roots and boldly original has meant they've been able to use music that already claims a steadfast audience and introduce it to new ones.They received the blessing of the Cole Porter Estate to use several Porter compositions for their production of Hutch in 2013.
Their adaptation of The Great Gatsby uses original music and lyrics by Joe Evans. The Telegraph said of the production of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic that it "grips throughout." Last summer's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, set in New Orleans featured the songs of the legendary Dr. John. They have been given the licence to stage The Last Tycoon for the first time in the UK by the writer Simon Levy who was also the first writer to adapt The Great Gatsby for the stage in America with the permission of the Fitzgerald estate.
IF YOU GO:
THE LAST TYCOON
4 October - 22 October
7:30pm
£17/£15
Box Office: 020 8995 6035
info@tabardtheatre.co.uk
2 Bath Road, LondonW4 1LW
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