Sex, drugs and... Trolls. Such is the life of “Peer Gynt”, probably Ibsen’s most surreal play which has now been updated in a brilliant Scottish adaptation by Colin Teevan.

The play is about young Peer, who despite his poor background has dreams of becoming rich and famous. After trying to leave the town where he has grown up, fleeing from his ex-girlfriend’s wedding with the bride. He then comes across the kingdom of the Trolls and is forced into marrying the Troll princess, although luckily managing to escape again. When we meet him later he is now much older and is selling arms in Africa, whilst trying to reinvent himself as the leader of a new cult.

This could easily become a very confusing play, but thanks to Teevan’s adaptation he keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Dominic Hill also makes good use of the large stage, keeping it quite bare and allowing the scenes to be filled by the actors instead and giving the piece the feel of epic theatre.

Keith Fleming and Gerry Mulgrew both give fantastic performances as young and old Peer, showing great subtlety and engagement with the piece. Cliff Burnett is also superb as The Button Man, who helps to guide the audience through the maze of Peer’s life.

A very different, but very entertaining piece of theatre!

Listings:

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

17 to 20 June

Wed – Sat eves 7:00pm

Matinee, Sat 2pm

Tickets: £7.50 - £20

Box Office: 0131 248 4848

www.lyceum.org.uk

Then touring until 27 June

Birmingham Rep and the West Yorkshire Playhouse are presenting the first tour of Nicholas Wright’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s internationally successful trilogy of books “His Dark Materials” (consisting of “Northern Lights”, “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass”). The books have often been compared to “Harry Potter”, but in fact go much deeper. They challenge our perceptions of religion and examine the importance of family and friends. In fact the books have caused a lot of controversy amongst Christian groups, as they believe the books champion atheism.

Despite this the story and the books themselves are beautifully written and Nicholas Wright has done a brilliant job of adapting the epic story into a six hour piece of theatre. Due to its length, the play has been split into two parts.

The story is set in a world similar to our own, except everyone has a daemon. A daemon is an animal, a companion that is part of us and stays with us throughout our lives. In this world Lyra, a young girl abandoned by her parents must discover the truth behind where she came from. She must rescue her friend Roger, who along with the other children is having his daemon cut away from him. And with the help of her friend Will she must fight to protect the future of the world and all other worlds.

It’s a superb story that is well told by the ensemble of actors. All of them play many different parts, except Amy McAllister who puts in a superb performance as the headstrong yet brave Lyra. The daemons are also brought to life by fantastic puppets by the Blind Summit company. The cast work well together in creating a fantastic adventure that not only entertains, but challenges and stimulates as well. They also make great use of Ruari Murchison’s simple and effective set in telling the story.

An epic, yet enthralling piece of theatre!

Listings:

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

21 to 24 May

Thu 7:00pm – Part One

Fri 2:00pm – Part One / 7:00pm – Part Two

Sat 2:00pm – Part One / 7:00pm – Part Two

Sun 1:00pm – Part One / 6:00pm – Part Two

Tickets: £15.50 - £23.00

Box Office: 0131 529 6000

www.eft.co.uk

Then touring until 20 June

“Be Near Me” is based on the Booker Prize nominated novel by Andrew O'Hagan and is a co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland and the Donmar Warehouse.

The play is about Father David Anderton, an English priest who is moved to the town of Dalgarnock on the Ayrshire coast. Dalgarnock is filled with sectarian hate and Father David soon finds refuge in the company of two local teenagers, Mark and Lisa. Father David’s relationship with Mark grows, until one fateful night he makes a decision that destroys his life and the lives of his closest friends forever.

John Tiffany makes good use of the ten actors to create a beautiful piece of theatre. Most of the actors play two or three different characters, which works well in conveying the many different types of people Father David comes across. Also his decision to use the cast as a choir, singing sectarian songs from both sides, helps to make you realize the pointlessness of religious hate when there is so little we don’t have in common with each other. This is ably helped by Davey Anderson’s music, which underscores a lot of the show.

The actors themselves are wonderful, working together as a true ensemble. It is hard to pick out any one performance, but due should go to Ian McDiarmid who plays the central role with such superb subtlety and makes us feel great sympathy for a character it could be easy to hate. McDiarmid also adapted the novel into the play and has successfully created a piece so powerful that you’d never know had been adapted from anything. Blythe Duff also gives a superb performance as Mrs Poole, Father David’s housekeeper, whose confession leads to his downfall.

An excellent piece of theatre. Well directed and filled with impeccably strong performances. Buy a ticket!

Listings:

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

15 to 18 April

Wed – Sat eves 8:00pm

Tickets: £5 - £16

Box Office: 0131 228 1404

www.traverse.co.uk

Then touring until 16 May.