Toby or not Toby, Gordon enjoys switching roles for York shows

Strike that, he was playing Jesus, suddenly switching from the dark side for the last cluster of performances when filling the sandals of the indisposed Philip McGinley.

Now he has returned to his home city for Christmas and the New Year in the latest revival of the Guild Of Misrule's The Great Gatsby at Theatre@41Monkgate, where he is starring as the hot-headed Tom Buchanan.

"I played George Wilson [the exhausted owner of a run-down auto shop at the edge of the valley of ashes] in the London production since the start of 2018, and I've now switched roles for York, like I did with the Devil and Jesus in the Mystery Plays," he says.

"George is more the Jesus figure; Tom is more the Devil, and I love the switch, from George being the lowest in the social ratings to Tom being right up there at the top. I initially understudied both roles in London when the original cast was in place and I've had a fantastic time doing the Gatsby shows in London and now York."

He jumped at the chance to perform in his home city. "I bite the hand off any opportunity to get back home and work here, as I love it in York," says Toby. "Every time I come back, the theatre scene seems richer and there's even more going on."

He is revelling in performing at Theatre@41 Monkgate, in an immersive production staged not only in the John Cooper Studio but also in assorted rooms around the building, decorated and draped by designer Casey Jay Andrews, who happens to play Myrtle Wilson opposite Toby's seducer Buchanan.

"As an actor, the tasks are totally different, playing the London warehouse set, converted into Gatsby's Drugstore, and 41 Monkgate, where it fits so well, in the city where the Guild Of Misrule first staged Gatsby," says Toby.

The Great Gatsby runs until Saturday, 1920s' dress encouraged, at 7.30pm nightly at the invitation of Mr Jay Gatsby. Tickets are on sale on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Charles Hutchinson