Wellington Oracle

Third Wall’s Theatre’s production of Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen plays the studio theatre of the Irving Greenbertg Theatre Centre until March 21. Contact GCTC box office 613.236.5196 for tickets and showtimes.

Review by Lesley Buxton

The first time I ever heard of Peer Gynt was in the film Educating Rita when Rita, the main character suggests, rather too honestly the best way to avoid the pitfalls of mounting the production was to “Do it on the radio.” I was seventeen at the time and like Rita, desperate to learn about the arts. Today as I contemplated my review I found myself thinking about that film and what it has to say about education and the arts. I believe the main function of theatre is to entertain as well as to elicit feeling for the characters and that really great theatre has a universality that appeals to audiences of all classes.

So does last night’s production work on that level? Not entirely. The main culprit is the play itself. Written in 1867 by Ibsen as a poetic fantasy and originally never intended for the stage, this epic tale follows the title character, a selfish dreamer, through a range of both rational and freakish experiences as he attempts to find himself. The language is loaded with dense philosophical musings. Challenging to say the least. In order for a production of this scope and length (3-hours) to be successful the audience must want to join Peer on his journey. I’m afraid I didn’t.

I attribute this primarily to the production’s lack of emotional integrity. In an attempt to boost the thick language the actors seemed to speak very loudly and make very broad gestures when every so often, a pause or some eye contact might have worked more successfully. Occasionally I found myself wondering if they’d rehearsed in a larger space and were unaware of how close the audience is to the actors in the studio. Or, if perhaps this was the wrong venue for this show.

The production is not without its merits. The actors all give energetic performances. Their commitment to the play is tremendous. I only wish director, James Richardson had channeled their talents more cleverly. This is a Third Wall Theatre in association with The Ottawa Theatre School. Many of the actors are just beginning their careers while others are well-known to Ottawa audiences. All the actors in this ensemble have some fine moments. Movement coach, Peter Ryan should be congratulated for his work. There were some lovely physical performances. Certainly it was these transformations that I enjoyed best.

This was my first time in the studio and I must take the opportunity to promote it. I loved it. Costume and set designer, Sarah Waghorn’s minimalist look was an intriguing choice for the space. I liked the idea of the long white gauze curtains. They were most evocative in the prophet scene, but during the opening scene between Peer and his mother I found them distracting and wondered why it was necessary to create a barrier between the actors and the audience.

During the reception, I overheard a theatergoer declare how brave it was to attempt this play. At the time, desperate for a beer and a stretch, I disagreed heartily. A day later, I’ve changed my mind. Of course, it was a brave, though possibly foolish as well. But how else do we learn how to make art? Finally, I would encourage those truly interested in the history of theatre to see this production. Though flawed there is much worthy of appreciation in this production, specifically the passion with which it was created.