Peter Gynt at The Olivier

Henrik Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt was published in November 1867 to divided opinion, with Clemens Petersen, a theatre and literary critic of the time, saying ‘Not real poetry …. full of untenable ideas …. and riddles so empty that there is no real answer to them …. A piece of polemical journalism’.  Not an auspicious start and opinion has been divided ever since.  It’s even mentioned in Noel Coward’s Present Laughter when Liz Essendine says to husband Garry ‘We stopped you in the nick of time from playing Peer Gynt’.  It requires an outstanding actor to portray Gynt and staging it is notoriously difficult.  Oh, and let’s not forget that it is inordinately long.

However, the version currently playing in The Olivier has been re-written by David Hare and Gynt (here named Peter) is played by James McArdle, who was so, so good in Hare’s adaption of Chekhov’s Platonov and in Angels in America, both staged at The National.  There is therefore much to be applauded in this latest production, although it’s not all gold stars. 

Although much of Ibsen’s text still shines through and Hare adheres to its original structure, much has been radically changed so it fits in with today’s world.  There are many references to modern living, such as Peter, here a young Scottish soldier, pointing out that ‘people don’t have lives any more – they have stories’.  Stories that are improvised and where we favour material riches over and above wisdom.  Hence Peter’s default mode of creating his own legend by pinching bits and pieces from the various war movies he has seen; a serial fantasist who eventually adopts many varied personalities from successful capitalist to would be spiritualist via false prophet.  It’s only when he returns home to Dunoon that he realises he is in fact mediocre and his tall tales are just that.

The staging of the play by Director Jonathan Kent and Designer Richard Hudson is very adroitly done and they’re helped by having the enormous Olivier stage at their disposal.  It’s used to the max and Peter’s journey from Scotland (undertaken following his abduction of a young bride and desertion of the doting Sabine, a young immigrant) to far flung corners of the globe is cleverly realised; especially his time on a storm lashed ship.  A sticky problem when putting on Peer Gynt is the depiction of the terrifying trolls, headed by the Troll King, played here by an excellent Jonathan Coy.  Jonathan Kent has the trolls all wearing large pig snouts and their kingdom is presented as a dimly lit, steeply inclined high table, as if this is some kind of nightmarish dream. 

Hare’s script is amusing and his decision not to alter two defining moments in Ibsen’s version, namely when Peter returns home to comfort his dying mother and when he is finally confronted by the The Button Moulder (Oliver Ford Davies), is the right one.  McArdle imbues the default self-obsessed Peter with a tenderness and warmth whilst cradling his mother in his arms and a true contriteness on hearing Ford Davies’s quiet explanation of the difference between self-discovery and self-improvement.

The production may be long, too long, but its saving grace is McArdle’s limitless energy and the excellent support from the large cast.  Where it lets itself down is in some of the gimmicky scenes, aka dancing cowgirls, and the attendant music which, for me doesn’t work.  Give me Grieg’s original score every time!