Peer Gynt
Classic Stage Company
May 22, 2016
 |
| Photo courtesy of Classic Stage Company |
Peer Gynt, Henrik Ibsen’s
five act play written in verse and loosely based on a Norwegian fairy tale, is
presently in production at Classic Stage Company. Ibsen’s script is said to “blend poetry with
social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones.” This holds true in this production,
especially the social commentary, which rings relevant to our present day political
dilemma. Directed and adapted by John
Doyle, these moments are strongly focused, yet he has omitted the depth and
expanse of the main character’s experiences on his journey by diminished the
show to a mere one hour and fifty minutes without an intermission.
Peer
Gynt (played by Gabriel Ebert) longs for greatness. To be specific, he yearns to be emperor. He rides a wild stag and steals the virginity
of the bride of a fellow townsperson. He
gains wealth and dubs himself a prophet.
He is told he has become an emperor, but only of himself. This achievement is not enough for him. In the final moments he realizes he has not
been true to himself, and is therefore not able to receive the rewards he
desires.
 |
| Gabriel Ebert as Peer Gynt Photo courtesy of Classic Stage Company |
The
actors (Gabriel Ebert, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Becky Ann Baker, Adam Heller,
Jane Pfitsch, Dylan Baker, and George Abud) all do an amazing job creating true
characters whose objectives are clearly and realistically motivated. The final section of the play (Act 5 from
Ibsen’s script) is powerful and provocative, yet outweighs the surface skimming
of the previous sections. The most
memorable scene is when Peer Gynt peels an onion trying to find the
center. He compares each of the layers
to an experience he had on his journey. When
he realizes there is no center to the onion, only continual layers, he feels a
sense of despair. His response offers an understanding that he was searching for something deeper all along. The production, however, lacks the heightened sense of adventure and visceral connection needed to make that moment, and others like it, compelling and meaningful.
Peer Gynt runs at ClassicStage Company thought June 16.
Domenick Danza
I thought about seeing this performance. If I can fit it in my schedule, I'll go. I often go to the Classic Stage Company. My students and I had a brief residency with them this year.
ReplyDelete