« from Minneapolis to the Loop
Old Peer vs. Young Peer – The Smackdown! »
Peer Gynt: Post Your Review
Posted by DCA Theater on November 23, 2011 in July-December 2011 Season, Peer Gynt
The wild, globe-trotting adventurer Peer Gynt barrels across the stage in the Chicago premiere of Robert Bly’s high-energy translation of this seldom-performed Ibsen classic. In this adaptation, unencumbered by morals or a sense of responsibility, Peer’s mythic journey is envisioned as that of America itself, from scrappy trickster to imperial power and beyond. The rustic settings and live music reminiscent of 19th and 20th century Americana accompany Peer on a 150-year whirlwind tour of the American psyche.
View photos from the show
What did you think about the show? Share your comments here.
CURRENT SHOWS
Tickets can be purchased online, by phone or in person.
Bring your show to the heart of downtown Chicago
Comments (4)
Keith Ecker of Chicago Theater Beat says “There is an Ebenezer Scrooge-quality to [Peer Gynt’s] look and manner that resonates with the character, especially when he seeks repentance as death draws near. The themes of Polarity’s production of Peer Gynt will resonate with a modern audience, thanks in part to the efforts of Occupy Wall Street. The play highlights the fact that the rich sacrifice their humanity to pursue wealth for the sake of wealth, a problem that was prevalent even in Ibsen’s day.” Click here to read the full review.
Zac Thompson of Time Out Chicago says “Robert Bly’s translation (written for a 2008 production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis) is attuned to contemporary resonances and maintains a galloping momentum….” Click here to read the full review.
Devlyn Camp of Chicago Theatre Review says “The set by Heath Hays, in a large black box space, has an overhead boardwalk that spans across the space. It’s beautiful when the lights hit the walk and dramatic slats of light run across the faces of characters below. The production flaunts dozens of first-rate period costumes by Rachel Lambert for over fifty characters, including an impressive puppet troll toddler (designed by Angela M. Campos).... That puppet troll toddler really had me dazzled.” Click here to read the full review.
Mary Shen Barnidge of Windy City Times says “The folk legend of the Trickster is found in virtually every corner of Western culture. His Norwegian name is Peer Gynt, his progress inspiring, among other artists, composer Edvard Grieg and playwright Henrik Ibsen, during the latter’s early forays into epic romanticism…Bryson Engelen and Richard Engling—playing, respectively, the young and old Gynt—deliver marathon performances, augmented by a 16-member chorus doubling and tripling in a roster of auxiliary roles…” Click here to read the full review.