A timely and timeless take on The Great Gatsby awaits in the intimate black box theater at Poulton Hall at Georgetown University. The F. Scott Fitzgerald classic, adapted for the stage by Simon Levy, is the centerpiece of the 173rd season of Mask and Bauble, the nation’s oldest continuously running collegiate theater group. With over 80 students involved in the production, first-time director and Long Island native Briana Sparacino shared in her show notes how eager she was to bring to the stage the classic story set on the Gold Coast of Long Island, New York. Overall, Sparacino directs this American classic that explores wealth, status, class, and sexism in the roaring 1920s — themes that resonate brightly and, at times, bitterly at this moment in America — with an ambition that belies this is her first foray. One hopes it isn’t her last. Scene from ‘The Great Gatsby.’ Photo by Alex Roberts. The actors embody these big themes with flair. Notably, Nick Carraway, played with reflectively soulful grace by Rishu Nevatia, serves as our observer and witness to the adulterous Tom Buchanan, played with admirable swagger by Massimo D’Onofrio, and to the nouveau riche wealth of Jay Gatsby, played by the suave Nate Findlay, in his white linen suit, flinging his signature line “old sport” with panache. The scene stealer was Daisy Buchanan, played by the intensely magnetic Emma Erdoes. As she wavered between her husband and Gatsby, as she struggled with her choices and the lack of choices for a woman in the 1920s, she transformed the black box stage back to a time when women were freer than their forebears but not truly free of societal expectations. The other standouts included Claire Cable, as the best friend and ear to Daisy; Kait Delaney, as the unhappy mistress of Tom Buchannan; and Colin Wechsler, who gives a nuanced, emotional performance as the cheated-on George Wilson. The costumes, designed by Maya Dow and her crew, were also standouts. They evoked the Prohibition era in all its jazzy flapper finery. Scenes from ‘The Great Gatsby.’ Photos by Alex Roberts. Perhaps the only off-note was the use of jazz renditions of Billy Joel compositions, which were threaded through several scenes. The Long Island–based performer is known more for his working-class pop anthems and working-class commentary on the uptown girls than as a postmodern provocateur. Admittedly, it might also be an age factor since Joel is a contemporary more of mine than of these talented young adults, and his music in the background served only to tease me out of the fictive dream of this production. It might also be that some of the most powerful moments were without a soundtrack, especially when Nick Carroway spoke directly to the audience about his doubts, hopes, and desire to lead a good and authentic life. All his questioning and pain are there on the stage; no modern musical commentary is needed. The power of these scenes resonated in the actor, in his words, and in the sure-handed direction. The Great Gatsby is alive and well at Georgetown University in this delightful and thoughtful student-run production by Mask and Bauble. Running Time: Approximately two hours with a 10-minute intermission. The Great Gatsby plays Friday–Sunday, November 1–3; Wednesday, November 6; and Friday–Sunday, November 8–10, 2024, presented by Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society  performing at Georgetown University in Poulton Hall, Stage III, 1421 37th Street NW, Washington, DC. The run is sold out, but there is waitlist registration (tickets $10) online. The Great Gatsby Adapted by Simon Levy Directed by Briana Sparacino (SFS ’25) Produced by Ruby Lillie (CAS ’27) Stage Managed by Ava Schneiberg (CAS ’27) Technical Direction by Alex Wang (CAS ’25)