Gatsby In Harlem [Drama On 3]

Harlem NYC, 1925. It is the time of one of the most creative cultural revolutions America has ever experienced - the Harlem Renaissance is up and running! Young Nick Carraway runs away from the racial segregated Jim Crow laws of the Deep South for a better life as an African American in New York City. He is reunited with his cousin Daisy and meets her domineering husband, uptight black businessman Tom Buchanan. Nick rents a grubby ground-floor apartment, right in the heart of Harlem. He resides next door to the fanciest as well as largest brownstone mansion on the block, owned by one Jay Gatsby - a mysterious black business magnate who often hosts extravagant all-night jazz parties on every floor of his home.

Gatsby's parties are the talk of Harlem! Set in an all-black neighbourhood with a heavy jazz score. This reimagined take of the original classic, moves the location from the Long Island of the 1920s dominated by WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants), to the pulsating, jazz-loving streets of African American Harlem in the '20s. The Harlem Renaissance offered African Americans across the country a new spirit of self determination, pride and a belief in their own American Dream, that all Americans would one day be able live and be respected and accepted as one, living in a time when segregation becomes a thing of the past.

Harlem is the perfect setting for a reimagined world of The Great Gatsby. The 1920s Jazz Age, during which Fitzgerald's novel is set, overlaps directly with the Harlem Renaissance, a vibrant cultural and artistic movement. Both movements emphasised the transformative power of creativity, music (especially jazz), and breaking free from societal norms. Gatsby's opulent parties, filled with jazz and excess, align with the rise of Black culture and expression. Fitzgerald was also looking at reinvention, with Gatsby embodying the self-made man. Similarly Harlem represented a cultural reinvention for African Americans, a reclaiming of identity and a celebration of achievements in all areas of the arts and politics.

The original theme music was composed and performed by Tomorrows Warriors, a company dedicated to inclusivity and diversity in jazz, fostering a culture of mentorship to talented young jazz musicians.

This episode features an extract from “To a Dead Friend ? by Langston Hughes

Tom Alexander

A Granny Eats Wolf production for BBC Radio 3

Executive Producers Tom Billington and Nathan Freeman

F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby reimagined by Roy Williams and starring Ncuti Gatwa.

Ncuti Gatwa, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Malachi Kirby star in Gatsby in Harlem. F Scott Fizgerald's The Great Gatsby reimagined by Roy Williams and set in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance.

[LISTEN NOW]

Gatsby's parties are the talk of Harlem! Set in an all-black neighbourhood with a heavy jazz score. This slightly reimagined take of the original classic, moves the location from the Long Island of the 1920s dominated by WASPS, (White Anglo Saxon Protestant), to the pulsating, jazz loving streets of African American Harlem in the 20s. The Harlem Renaissance offered African Americans across the country a new spirit of self determination, pride and a belief in their own American Dream, that all Americans would one day be able live and be respected and accepted as one, living in a time when segregation

Harlem is the perfect setting for a re-imagined world of The Great Gatsby. The 1920's Jazz Age, during which Fitzgerald's novel is set, overlaps directly with The Harlem Renaissance, a vibrant cultural and artistic movement. Both movements emphasised the transformative power of creativity, music (especially Jazz), and breaking free from societal norms. Gatsby's opulent parties, filled with Jazz and excess, align with the rise of Black culture and expression. Fitzgerald was also looking at reinvention, with Gatsby embodying the self-made man. Similarly Harlem represented a cultural reinvention for African Americans, a reclaiming of identity and a celebration of achievements in all areas of the arts and politics.

The original theme music was composed and performed by Tomorrows Warriors, a Jazz company dedicated to inclusivity and diversity in Jazz, fostering a culture of mentorship to talented young jazz musicians.

This episode features an extract from 'The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain' by Langston Hughes.

Tom Alexander,

Sam Dale,

This is a Granny Eats Wolf production for BBC Radio 3

For Granny Eats Wolf, the Executive Producers were Tom Billington and Nathan Freeman

A re-imaging of F.Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby By Roy Williams starring Ncuti Gatwa

Ncuti Gatwa, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Malachi Kirby star in Gatsby in Harlem. A re-imaging of F. Scott Fizgerald's The Great Gatsby by Roy Williams, set in the 1920's Harlem Renaissance.

Ncuti Gatwa, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Malachi Kirby star in the award-winning playwright Roy Williams's ‘Gatsby in Harlem'. A re-imagination of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Harlem NYC, 1925. It is the time of one of the most creative cultural revolutions America has ever experienced. The Harlem Renaissance is up and running! Young Nick Carraway runs away from the racially segregated Jim Crow laws of the Deep South for a better life as an African American in New York City. He is reunited with his cousin Daisy and meets her domineering husband, uptight black businessman Tom Buchanan. Nick rents a ground-floor grubby apartment, right in the heart of Harlem. He resides next door next to the fanciest, as well as, largest Brownstone mansion on the block - owned by one Jay Gatsby, a mysterious black business magnate who often hosts extravagant all night jazz parties on every floor of his home.

Gatsby's parties are the talk of Harlem! Set in an all-black neighbourhood with a heavy jazz score. This slightly reimagined take of the original classic, moves the location from Long Island, dominated by WASPS (White Anglo Saxon Protestants), to the pulsating, jazz-loving streets of African American Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance offered African Americans across the country a new spirit of self determination, pride and a belief in their own American Dream, that all Americans would one day be able live and be respected and accepted as one, living in a time when segregation becomes a thing of the past.

Harlem is the perfect setting for a re-imagined world of The Great Gatsby. The 1920s Jazz Age, during which Fitzgerald's novel is set, overlaps directly with The Harlem Renaissance, a vibrant cultural and artistic movement. Both movements emphasised the transformative power of creativity, music (especially Jazz), and breaking free from societal norms. Gatsby's opulent parties, filled with Jazz and excess, align with the rise of Black culture and expression. Fitzgerald was also looking at reinvention, with Gatsby embodying the self-made man. Similarly Harlem represented a cultural reinvention for African Americans, a reclaiming of identity and a celebration of achievements in all areas of the arts and politics.

Other parts played by

Tom Alexander, Sam Dale, Tayla Kovacevi-Ebong, Vigs Otite, Finlay Paul and Romario Splatt

Executive Producers - Tom Billington and Nathan Freeman

Runner - Greg Birks

Performers for Tomorrow Warriors:

Producer for Tomorrow's Warriors - Fish Krish

Music sound-engineered, mixed and mastered by Luc Saint Martin

All dialogue and music recorded at The Confetti Institute - London, part of Nottingham Trent University.

F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, reimagined by Roy Williams and starring Ncuti Gatwa

Ncuti Gatwa, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Malachi Kirby star in Gatsby in Harlem. A reimagining of F Scott Fizgerald's The Great Gatsby by Roy Williams, set in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance.

[LISTEN NOW]