Audience participation taken to a new level with a great version of the Great Gatsby

Theatr Clwyd has joined forces with the Guild of Misrule for its immersive production of The Great Gatsby.

The audience in Mold this week found itself at the very heart of the performance.

And as the cast themselves agreed, the audience revelled in the action.

The summer season production is being performed not at the theatre itself but at the Dolphin Pub in the town centre.

Scott Fitzgerald's novel, set in 1929 New York, tells the story of millionaire businessman, Jay Gatsby with the plot unfolding at one of his infamous parties.

The audience soon finds itself in the swing of the jazz-age, with a Charleston lesson for those brave enough to get involved.

Soon audience members are drawn deeper into the plot as a small group are invited into one room of The Dolphin and others taken upstairs to learn about a different chapter.

Members of the cast cleverly get the audience on their side as the plot unfolds, with the fun of the roaring twenties, slowly revealing its darker side.

Dressing up in 1920s costume is optional. But donning an outfit from that time certainly helped the immersive process and even someone like me, who hadn't been brave enough to stand on a stage since the age of 12, got into 'character'.

The talented cast, Siobhan Bevan as Myrtle, Huw Blainey as George, Jack Hammett as Nick, Richard McIver as Gatsby, Troy Marcus Richards as Tom, Seren Vickers as Jordan and Bethan Rose Young as Daisy, showed their singing and dancing skills as well as acting.

And that acting grew to a crescendo as the play moved to an explosive end.

The performance takes place over ten rooms and three floors of The Dolphin with an accessible, ground-floor route available. Audio described performances will take place on July 5 and 28.

August 25. Signed performances will take place on June 28, July 22 and August 23.

Tickets are from £10. Booking is available at Theatr Clwyd’s website www.theatrclwyd.com or by calling 01352 344101.