BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
The F. Scott Fitzgerald classic The Great Gatsby is almost 100 years old, but the story still resonates.
“There are a lot of parallels between now, going into the 2020s, and the 1920s,” said Cody Barger, who plays Tom Buchanan in the Clarkston Village Players production. “They’re both the change of an era, with music and the world as a whole.”
“They were heading for the Great Depression back then, and right now, with things currently going on, it looks like we’re heading into a hopefully small recession, nothing as bad as that one, but there are definitely parallels,” said Sean Harbert, who plays the titular Jay Gatsby.

Opening at Depot Theatre on Friday, Nov. 8, the story starts in the summer of 1922 when Nick Carraway moves next door to Gatsby’s lavish mansion. Across the bay lives his cousin, Daisy Fay Buchanan, Tom’s wife. Carraway learns Gatsby knows Daisy through a chance meeting in 1917, and continues to carry a torch for her.
“My character is great because he gets dragged into these characters’ lives,” said Matthew Cross, who plays Carraway. “I get dragged into hosting a reunion for Daisy and Gatsby, who I’m friends with. And her husband gets involved. It’s just so wonderful seeing the character grow during this one little summer.”
“Daisy is actually quite a complex character,” said Erica Suszek, who plays Daisy. “She has mood swings. She’s histrionic. She’s crazy. She’s the center of attention. She sulks. She loves two men. It’s been quite an honor to bring the character to life.”
“What’s cool for me is I get to play a character where the only thing that matters is the woman he loves,” Harbert said. “Everything else can just disappear. As long as he has her, his life is complete, he can’t imagine living his life without her.”
Tom adds his own complications to the story, having a mistress on the side, Myrtle Wilson, played by Shay Curran.
“I like playing a jerk sometimes,” Barger said. “It’s a lot different than playing something more comical, more lighthearted. With Tom, it’s a lot more yelling. It’s just fun to go against the grain sometimes.”
The play was adapted for the stage by Simon Levy and presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.
“There are wonderful moments that are brought from the book that I think a lot of people will love,” Cross said. “And if you like the movies, like with Redford and DiCaprio, you can see a very wonderful new interpretation of Fitzgerald’s words and scenes.”
“The Great Gatsby is often referred to as ‘the Great American Novel,’” Harbert said. “It touches on so many things, but overall it’s a love story mixed with greed coming from huge amounts of wealth.”
“It’s a timeless classic, all of the themes still hold strong today, the unrequited love, the pain that goes with losing someone you love, the pain of losing someone off to war, even,” Barger said. “There are just so many things that are still strong today. And they’re the same reasons that keep this book prevalent in school. It’s something that you definitely should come see, 100 percent.”
The show is full of 1920’s nostalgia, and colorful costumes and characters.
“I guess for Jordan, what I liked the most is you get to see her character develop,” said Vania Perezmarte, who plays Jordan Baker, Daisy’s closest confidante. “In a sense, she gets to be the narrator for a bit.”
The cast also includes Al Bartlett as Meyer Wolfsheim; Tim Wheeling as George Wilson; Lois Keel as Mrs. McKee and Mrs. Michaelis; and Verne Vackaro as Chester McKee.
“It’s a joy to work with such talented actors, they make my life so easy because all I have to do is step back and let them do what they do, just fine tune it,” said Jim Pike, who is directing the production along with Daina Schippers, assistant director.
“In addition to bringing an iconic story to life, I think you can really tell from the way we interact on stage just how well we get along with each other,” Suszek said. “Offstage, the cast and the crew, we all have so much respect for each other and we’re working together. We’re really putting the community in community theater. It’s really beautiful to see everyone supporting each other to bring such a beautiful story to life.”
“I’ve only ever been in one show in my life and it was in my high school, and I don’t think I really got along with the cast as well as I do here,” Perezmarte said. “I get along more with these people than I did with the guys in high school. I really enjoy this show.”
“This is a great cast and this is the great American story,” Pike said. “I think we do it justice so I hope everyone will come out and see it. Join us. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll have a great time.”
Backstage crew also includes Phil Custodio, producer; George Arnold on lights and sound; and Andrew Bowmaster, lights and sound guru. Performances are Nov. 8-10, 15-17, and 21- 23 at Depot Theatre, 4861 White Lake Road. Tickets are $17 for Friday and Saturday evening shows at 8 p.m.; and $15 for Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
“We’re doing things on this stage that Clarkston hasn’t done before with lighting and scene changes,” Pike said. “It’s a new experience for me, having a continuous action show as opposed to a fixed set show. I think it’s actually worked out quite well.”
For more information, go to Clarkstonvillageplayers.org. Call 248-425-5842 for tickets.