The Gateway Theatre Guild is staging F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby this week at Trinity United Church, presenting the iconic 1925 novel as a live 1940s radio studio performance that director Rod Carley says carries urgent relevance for today’s audiences.
The production features a cast of 15 actors portraying more than two dozen roles, accompanied by a house band with lead performer, period radio commercials, and live sound effects that recreate the atmosphere of a vintage radio broadcast.
“It’s Fitzgerald’s study of the tragedy and triumph of the American dream, which is a perilous pursuit and even more perilous today,” Carley said in an interview. “It’s certainly got resonance in the wake of the Trump administration because we’re talking about the ruthlessness of the rich who think morality is for suckers.”
Carley drew direct parallels between Fitzgerald’s critique of wealth and privilege nearly a century ago and contemporary economic upheaval caused by global and regional trade wars. In the novel, Fitzgerald wrote of the wealthy being “careless” people who “wreck things” and leave “everyone else to clean up their mess.”
North Bay’s centennial celebrations
“Here we are today and who’s going to clean up Trump’s mess?” Carley said. “It’s very, very powerful in the sense of the message it’s starting to put across.”
The production coincides with North Bay’s centennial celebrations, marking 100 years since the Northern Ontario city’s incorporation in 1925 — the same year Fitzgerald published his masterwork.
Despite the weighty themes, Carley emphasized that the show delivers rich entertainment, capturing the “decadence of the jazz age” with music and humor.
“The show itself is full of entertainment,” he said. “It’s very funny, but that’s all on the surface. What’s moving underneath is this condemnation of America as a spiritual wasteland.”
The Gateway Theatre Guild’s adaptation transforms Fitzgerald’s narrative of obsession, wealth, and disillusionment into an immersive theatrical experience that honors both the golden age of radio and the enduring power of American literature’s most celebrated critique of excess.
The Great Gatsby runs Oct. 22-25 at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. See the Gateway Theatre Guild website for more information and to purchase tickets online. $20 for seniors over 65 and students, $25 for adults
Rod Carley has directed over 150 stage productions to date, ranging from the classics to the development of new Canadian work. For Gateway Theatre Guild, his credits include Arsenic and Old Lace, 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt, Talking to Terrorists, Henry V, The Laramie Project, High Life, The Othello Project, and Our Country’s Good. For Trinity Arts, Carley has previously directed King Lear, Romeo & Juliet, It’s a Wonderful Life, and numerous Christmas fundraisers. The acting ensemble features Jesse Beam, Paolo Dottori, Rob Ferron, Ted Harrison, Al MacAskill, Keegan MacNeil, Joanna Miles, Melissa Nigrini, John Powers, Geoff Richardson, Tracy Richardson-Sloan, Jodi St. Pierre, Dawn Wallace, Tristen Watts, and Tania Webb as well as musicians Chris Clarke, Neil Kennedy, Ryan Rogers, and Musical Director Marilyn Sutherland. The Great Gatsby is supported by the City of North Bay’s Centennial Committee.
NOTE: This article was written by Claude.ai using the transcript of the Small Town Times video interview. Report mistakes to Dave Dale, Editor. Below is the prompt used:
“Please write a news story based on this transcript of my interview with Rod Carley, director of the Gateway Theatre Guild’s newest production, a 1940s era radio play based on iconic American literature classic, The Great Gatsby. Carley said the theme of the original 1925 book by F. Scott Fitzgerald has parallels to the current economic upheaval being caused by global and regional United States trade wars. The play is running this week at the Trinity United Church in North Bay, which is celebrating its Centennial of the 1925 incorporation of they city in Northern Ontario, Canada.”
