By Carol Davis
LA JOLLA, California—Some might call director David Schweitzer’s adaptation if Henrik Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt”
entertaining and they would be right. Some will agree that’s it’s pretty weird and they would be right as well. Some might look for a hidden meaning under it all and they may find that exercise well worth the while. Some may call it an
exercise in futility and they may be correct also.
One thing we all may agree on though is that the five actors, three playing Gynt, in this two hour plus production of Peer Gynt at the La Jolla Playhouse are at the top of their mark in the retelling Ibsen’s epic (poem) tale. It doesn’t hurt either that
David Zinn’s sets, Darrell Maloney’s lighting design and Christina Wright’s costume designs create the right amount of atmosphere and oddness (a three headed troll) to hold our attention to pull off this rather bizarre retelling.
In co production with Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Schweizer’s adaptation of “Gynt” pares down Ibsen’s five act (to two), five hour (two +) fifty character (to five) fairy tale to a more manageable endurance test for modern day audiences yet allows the actors in Gynt’s odyssey, albeit in a rather non traditional fashion, to kick the can down the road and create this magical journey leaving intact Ibsen’s timeless question: “Who am I?” or “To thine own self be true”, or in direct conflict, as the troll says, “be true to your self-ish”. You be the judge.
Gynt is not the most popular guy on the planet. He’s self-serving, selfish and lazy, a braggart and, well, you name it; his negatives outweigh his positives. His mother, Ase, (Brigit Huppuch) comes down hard on him after he returns home with a whopper of a story about a reindeer hunt, but NO reindeer carcass. She scolds him for lying and for not using his time instead to pursue Ingrid (Kate Cullen Roberts) the daughter of
a wealthy farmer to wed but who is already promised to another.
Gynt heads out the door, off to stop the wedding. When he arrives at the scene he scoops Ingrid up, takes her up the mountain, takes her, abandons her and finds another would be bride in an encounter with the daughter of a three-headed troll king who offers her to Gynt if he becomes a troll. It gets a bit crazier when the troll king tells Peer that the woman is having his child and it was ‘begat’ in his head. It gets crazier and you can see why this would take hours to work through.
After escaping from the trolls, his journey takes him to Morocco, Egypt, and the Sphinx to becoming a missionary, slave trader and an outlaw. If you haven’t gotten the idea yet, this journey is best relished by holding on for dear life and enjoying the ride.
The cast of five, who play a combination of all the characters, are equally up to the task. Danny Gavigan, Brigit Happuch, Luis Moreno, Kate Cullen Roberts and Evan Zes have to be worn out at play’s end but surely seemed (on opening night) to relish the game. The chuckles could be heard throughout the absurdity of it all and that’s due to the great acting.
The men, with Gavigan playing the bulk of Peer’s character are more physical while the women carry the softer and affecting roles. Brigit Huppuch is moving as his mother. Kate Cullen Roberts is a hoot as one of the trolls. I think that the whole three-headed green troll thing has to be the talk of the town. The original music by Ryan Rumery (he is also responsible for the sound) is beautifully and effectively rendered by Huppuch and ads another dimension.
Gynt’s 1867 epic poem, one he claimed could never be staged, has been a challenge for Schweizer since his first encounter with the man (Gynt) when he was an undergraduate at Yale University. His journey, in finally reaching this, point spans the ‘70’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s having directed it at various stages of his life. “The play has become more profound, magical, and meaningful…” Next up a board game called “Peer Gynt Was Here”.
Don’t be misled by an Ibsen Classic. This is more fun than the rollercoaster ride at Magic Mountain.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through July 24th
Organization: La Jolla Play House
Phone: 858-550-1010
Production Type:
Where: 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla CA 92037
Ticket Prices: start @ $41.00
Web: lajollaplayhouse.org
Venue: Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre