.: The Red Brick – Dubai College's Student Newspaper :.

It is almost guaranteed that a considerable number of theatrical aficionados would spit in the face of the question above, turn on their heels and flounce off stage-left.  On the other hand, it is equally certain many of we, less exuberant characters, may have seen only a handful of stage shows. Against the exhaustive list of television shows and films we have viewed, theatre figures could be veritably insignificant.  It is certainly debateable, therefore, that theatre is becoming an indifferent cast member in a new film-and-television-headlined act.  Of course, it is indisputable that in more humble times, prior to the age of technology, theatre was a focal feature of many societies.  Nowadays, the money involved in the theatre industry does not even amount to a fraction of what the television and film industries are swimming in. Which begs the question: is all the world still a stage?  Or is it now one giant screen?

Is all the world a stage? Or has it become one giant screen?

Ask anyone in our generation to name ten famous actors, it is fairly certain that not one of those mentioned would specialise in theatre.  This is due to our lack of exposition, particularly in Dubai, to theatre.  Presently, even in the UK, theatre is simply not as accessible as television and film are to the public, especially in the current economic climate.  It is assumed in Britain that trips to the theatre are a sporadic indulgence, whereas a television, once regarded as an essential fixture in the average household, can now be found in multiple rooms.  Television and film are unquestionably more obtainable, affordable, undemanding sources of entertainment, which suit the idle, onesie-clad, sofa-bound British citizenry perfectly.  However, this by no means equates to a lack of appreciation for the theatre in our modern society.

In 2010, over 12.5 million people attended the theatre in Broadway, and this figure continues to rise each year.  With 42 new shows being staged on Broadway in the same year, it cannot even be suggested that the theatre is an aged convention.  Theatre cannot be defined by one show, or one genre.  It incessantly reinvents itself to provide audiences with a unique experience every time.  The enjoyment yielded by a successful theatre show cannot be touched by those of modern, one-dimensional forms of entertainment, both for the performers and the audiences.  However, this still seems to fail in persuading the masses to embrace the theatre.

Perhaps a reason for this aversion to the industry is modern-day prejudice against those who immerse themselves in it.  Male theatregoers and performers are often victims of public preconceptions, as it is a practice that can be considered particularly camp by ignorant observers.  Any historian would be able to see the irony in this custom, in view of the Elizabethan times when all actors were men, and it was felonious for a woman to participate in theatre.  The tables have now turned, however, and some men purposefully steer clear of the theatre to avoid the abuse they may incur.

Be that as it may, there is no parallel criticism for male actors on the silver screen.  This may seem odd, however, as many reputed film and television actors (both male and female) frequently indulge in theatrical works, and their early training undoubtedly included a good many years of theatre.  When David Tennant wasn’t operating the tardis and fighting Daleks, he was (and still is) a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, along with Dame Helen Mirren, Dustin Hoffman and Jeremy Irons, among many other notable names.  Hugh Jackman is currently starring in his own Broadway show, Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway.  On the other side of the Atlantic, Rowan Atkinson played Fagin for eight months on the West-End production of Oliver!, only quitting for health reasons.  Accumulatively, this all indicates that those in the television and film industries still have an unwavering respect for the theatre, and are willing to engross themselves in it regardless of the lower pay.

Theatre is an old-aged, yet immortal man, who commands unlimited and unparalleled respect from his youthful companions, television and film.  While from a distance he may seem straitlaced and outmoded, once you become acquainted with him he has a surprisingly current and inventive grasp on humanity.  He realises television and film are revelling in exceptional fortune and success, rekindling memories of adoration from his former glorious life; but he also realises that they would be nowhere without his guidance and teachings.  So while he carries on entertaining his humble disciples, he finds comfort in the knowledge that he has provided a lasting service to the rest of the world, despite receiving less recognition for it than he deserves.

An ‘enduring classic’…’The great American novel’…’number 7 on The Telegraph’s ’’Books To Read Before You Die’’ list’… These are just some of the phrases used to describe F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 renowned novel The Great Gatsby. It has been well established over the decades as one of the greats of the 20^th century and by no means forgotten as it has been studied and analyzed by countless critics and students alike all across the globe. In the past few years, however, the 86-year old tale has been dragged back into the spotlight and become more than one of those books that everyone means to read as various modern writers, filmmakers and even video game artists put their spin on the 20s classic.

Perhaps the best publicised is the up and coming film adaptation and remake of the Academy Award winning 1974 version of The Great Gatsby, which began filming on the 5^th of September in Australia. The film, in typical Hollywood Blockbuster fashion, has a budget of $126 million and boasts a cast of big stars such as Carrie Mulligan, Toby Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby himself.

American fashion designer Ralph Lauren was also rumoured to be linked to the project as his spring/summer ‘Roaring Twenties’-inspired line, featuring flapper dresses much like the ones worn at Gatsby’s legendary parties in the novel, was released earlier this month. With household names like these attached to the Baz Luhrmann-directed film, and such a bug budget, this latest adaptation has already began to generate a buzz in the film industry and promises big bucks at the box office, but will the sheer amount of money being spent and the blatantly Hollywood-esque nature of the film enable Luhrmann to accurately portray the lavish and decadent lifestyle that Fitzgerald observed in his novel or will the end result be a ridiculous contradiction to his overriding criticism of the irresponsibility of the wealthy?

As always, hardcore fans of the original prose have their reservations about the ability of certain actors to play some of their most beloved characters of all time and have no doubt found many flaws in the adaptation already, but Baz Lurhmann’s suggestion that the film will very likely be shown in 3D has even the most indifferent of readers raising their eyebrows in disbelief. The Great Gatsby is a novel that explores the social climate of America in a decade that was chaotically confusing and alienating for many and when a large section of society abandoned their morals and began to live life materialistically and carelessly for the first time in their lives. In other words, it is by no means the epic and adventure-filled tale one would expect to view through tinted plastic cinema glasses. The idea that a story which poignantly examines the power of illusion and what it is to be human is on par with 3D blockbusters like Thor or Avatar is bewildering and completely absurd.

Equally unlikely and bemusing was the release of The Great Gatsby Video Game last year. Produced by Big Fish Games, and available to download online, the PC-operated game invites the player to ‘Join Nick Carraway’ and ‘explore the mansions of Long Island’, ‘Attend extravagant parties’, ‘dance the Charleston with a happy couple harboring scintillating secrets’ and ‘Sip bootleg gin with a mysterious millionaire desperate to bring the passions of the past into the present’. The genre of The Great Gatsby Video Game is simply and accurately described as ‘Hidden Object’. The main characters are introduced at the beginning and the player moves through the narrative, uncovering new information as each ‘Hidden Object’ challenge is completed. Extra points can also be won by finding various hidden letters in each scene that sum up the themes present in the novel- for example, ‘gossip’.  While the few reviews on the game from technology experts dismiss it as boring and out of date, by completing the game, the player gets a good sense of the overall plot and characters in the novel in a way that could prove very useful for teachers attempting to keep students of the book interested.

The most risky of recent extensions to Fitzgerald’s classic novel, however, was the release of a sequel, June of this year, detailing the life of Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s daughter Pamela as she moves through the 20^th century, experiencing up close many of the major events of the different eras. The novel, entitled Daisy Buchanan’s Daughter, is described as ‘an acute, hilarious and moving vision of the 20th century’ but just how appropriate is it that a novel spanning the majority of a century and several continents is the follow-up to a novel spanning one summer and confined to a small section of America? And surely author Tom Carson’s decision to have Pamela’s parents Tom and Daisy meet their ends by way of Polo accidents and suicide, respectively, answers questions that fans of the original novel did not ask? While in its own right, Daisy Buchanan’s Daughter may be an excellent and epic tale, the link to The Great Gatsby is unnecessary to the plot and comes off as an attempt to lure people into reading the book out of curiosity.

It is unclear whether these various adaptations and extensions of The Great Gatsby will be ultimately successful with the modern world. What is apparent is the newfound significance Fitzgerald’s magnus opus, which criticizes the decadent lives of the wealthy and irresponsible just preceding the Great Depression, has now, since the economic downturn of the past few years.  Today, readers of The Great Gatsby today have a better understanding of the underlying wisdom of the novel than they have had for decades, proving that it is a timeless tale and one which will always be relevant to society.

   ‘It’s the quality of one’s convictions that determines success, not the number of followers’… Whilst this may be so, Professor Lupin, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter has found success on both fronts and will surely be missed… The seven films to date have earned almost a billion dollars each; therefore it is obvious that their followers are legion. However, dark times lie ahead… yet not for Harry Potter but rather for the millions of fans across the world that have grown up alongside The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 stands as a spectacular closing chapter to the wizard saga, packed with breath-taking action sequences and moving performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. An emotional farewell for the devoted fans of JK Rowling’s fantasy world, the film surpasses all expectations. Simply magical! Following the release of the film, here are ten weird and wonderful facts that you perhaps did not know…  

1. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone, Harry sees his parents in a mirror which Dumbledore refers to as the ‘Mirror of Erised’ – does this ring any bells? Interestingly, ‘Erised’ is an anagram of DESIRE
2. Not only is Voldemort a keen follower of the Dark Arts, it appears that he also has a knack for languages as his name – as well as being an anagram of Tom Marvelo Riddle – means “fly from death” in French and Voldemort’s sole goal is to achieve immortality. Similarly, ‘Morsmorde’  (the command that makes the Dark Mark appear) means “take a bite out of death” in French, making it an appropriate call for Death Eaters.
3. In the second book, there is a picture of Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings in Dumbledore’s study
4. As every Harry Potter fanatic knows, Dementors are deadly, wraith-like creatures. JK Rowling revealed that they represent depression and were based on her own experiences with the disease; interestingly, the remedy to lighten the effect of a Dementor is chocolate!
5. The driver and conductor of the Knight Bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ernie and Stanley, are named after Rowling’s grandfathers
6. Numbers are symbolic in the series, especially 2, 3, 4, and 7. For example, the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione suggest the power of three and the spiritual trinity. Harry fatally wounds the basilisk on its third strike, and Hagrid knocks on the front door of Hogwarts three times. Students attend Hogwarts for seven years and there are seven players on each Quidditch. Sirius is also imprisoned on the seventh floor of Hogwarts.
7. Natalie McDonald, who appears as a first year student in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, was a real person. She was a nine-year-old girl from Toronto, Canada, who was dying of leukemia. She wrote to Rowling asking what was going to happen in the next Harry Potter book as she would not live long enough to read it. Rowling emailed back, but Natalie had died a day earlier. In tribute, she became a first-year student at Hogwarts sorted into Gryffindor House by the Sorting Hat.
8. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Arthur Weasley takes Harry and his pals to the Ministry of Magic they must first dial a secret code into a telephone keypad. He enters the number 62442. The letters underneath those numbers on a standard mobile phone spell out the word “magic”.
9. Twin jokers, Fred and George, the owners of the joke shop Weasley’s Wizard Wheezers celebrate their birthdays on the stupidest day of the year – April Fool’s Day
10. JK Rowling, Harry Potter and actor Daniel Radcliffe all share the same birthday, July 31. Coincidental – I think not!