“OLD SPORT”
Even though the show is about ‘The Great Gatsby’ I wanted to pay attention to ‘The Great Daisy‘
Sarah Cantin, Director
Nov. 8 — After three years of no theatre club at U of O, The Gladstone was sold out for The Great Gatsby in its debut performance. This marked the first-ever production put on by the uOttawa Theatre Club as a success.
President and public administration student, Sydney Williams had no interest in theatrics until university; inopportunely, when she arrived at U of O in 2021, there was no theatre club.
Williams, with no prior theatrical experience, chose to start the club with the help of her fellow U of O drama buffs. In this first production, the uOttawa Theatre Club better resembles a full theatre company rather than a student-run club.
This rendition of The Great Gatsby seeks to put the spotlight on Daisy Buchanan, played by Breanna Sirois, a third year English Literature student. Director Sarah Cantin points out “people are quick to call Daisy the villain,” something Cantin was eager to amend in her own telling of the classic story.
Instead, Daisy is reimagined as she ought to be — a main character. Sirois transports the audience in time through her stunning Transatlantic accent. Sirois says she would have been happy with any role “but in my heart of hearts, I’ve always resonated with the character of Daisy” and as “a young woman in my 20s, I felt like I could portray Daisy”.
Tom Buchanan, portrayed by political science student, Zachary Sieber, is meant to resemble the embodiment of toxic masculinity. For the character of Tom, Sieber derived inspiration from his former high school gym teacher and the current Premier of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe. Cantin even directed Sieber to emulate Donald Trump’s infamous handshake. Tom’s outbursts throughout the show are both terrifying while simultaneously hilarious; Sieber encapsulates Tom perfectly from start to finish.
And of course it wouldn’t be The Great Gatsby without Jay Gatsby’s (played by Corgand Svendsen) yellow Rolls-Royce. In one scene, Gatsby and Nick Carraway (played by Andrew Lemieux) drive around in a bright yellow paper-mache Rolls-Royce. Due to the doors of The Gladstone being too narrow, Sorsha Perry, Head of Settings & Properties had to build the iconic set piece right in the theatre the night prior to the opening show.
And what’s a yellow Rolls-Royce if it doesn’t have an array of elegant outfits to match? Gathering all the costumes had cost the club a grand total of over $1250, and they really got their money’s worth. Head of Costumes & Make-up, Haileigh Simpson combed through each thrift store in the region to curate a story with each and every outfit.
Cantin’s The Great Gatsby is a fun watch and offers a clever and fresh take of an absolute classic. This makes for a great date night, evening with friends or even just a solo night out on the town. The opening show marks the beginning of a new age of a theatrical scene at the University of Ottawa ushered in by the uOttawa Theatre Club.
The Great Gatsby will be continuing to perform at The Gladstone until Nov. 11, followed by the uOttawa Theatre Club’s presentation of Heathers from Dec. 15 – 16.
