Blair Woynarski
Arts Writer

He’s a poet, he’s a picker.
He’s a prophet, he’s a pusher.
He’s a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he’s stoned.
He’s a walkin’ contradiction, partly truth and mostly fiction,
Takin’ ev’ry wrong direction on the lonely way back home.
-Kris Kristofferson

The Greystone Theatre season comes to an end with a classic work of epic fantasy penned by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (best known for his more serious and realistic plays like A Doll’s House). The question for theatre-goers is, can the average university student connect to a play that was written in Norway in 1867 by a guy with epic facial hair?

Anthony McMahon, who takes on the title role, thinks they should. He describes Peer Gynt as “an everyman — not this ultra-intellectual Hamlet. He’s a guy with problems.”

The story, in a nutshell, is that Peer Gynt is a restless farm-boy who wants to escape his old life, and so he embarks on an adventure involving sex, drugs and trolls. McMahon plays Peer as a young adult, but the torch passes to two other actors as the character progresses through his middle years into old age.

Though he’s only one third of the complete picture, McMahon still has a daunting task in front of him.

“The scary part,” he says, “is how am I going to be on-stage for this huge length of time without losing energy?” Taking the lead role in an epic play of this magnitude is not easy, and he describes it as intimidating and rewarding.

When Henrik Ibsen wrote Peer Gynt, he pulled together several Norwegian legends and folktales — some of which will be recognizable to modern audiences, and others less so — and combined it with political messages and pop culture references of the day. It has been translated and adapted many times since then, but the version opening March 25 has never been performed before.

Jim Guedo, who is directing the project, wrote his own adaptation, which modernized the story. It’s loaded with pop culture references: everything from Die Hard to The Who, and pulls a slice right out of early 21st century life.

The play’s poster pays a clear homage to Hollywood, parodying the poster for Reservoir Dogs. It features McMahon along with the other two Peers, Josh Ramsden and Chris Hapke, decked out in dark suits and sunglasses, with narrow black ties. It lets you know right there, says McMahon, “this is not your great, great, great grandfather’s Peer Gynt.”

With no intention to publish his script, Jim Guedo says that his adaption is strictly for “right here and now.” So even though the play itself is very old, it’s also totally original. This specific version has never been performed before, nor will it be again. That fact is something that Anthony McMahon is keeping in the back of his mind.

“Doing an original role is frightening, but starting from scratch is a cool experience,” he said.

Despite any preconceptions the audience might have about this classic piece of dramatic literature, the performance is anything but stuffy. The show is loaded up with action, violence and sex. Especially sex.

McMahon is quick to state that while the show pushes the envelope a little bit, the sex is unlikely to offend anyone, done “mostly for comedic effect.” He also points out that the adaptation is not doing a disservice to Ibsen either.

“In the original Peer Gynt, he was jumping the bones of all the Norwegian women,” he said.

The subject matter and style will seem familiar to those growing up in the Tarantino generation, but it will equally appeal to those who follow Ibsen and theatre in general.

“There’s gore, sex, dick jokes — but at the same time, it’s a classic work with themes that permeate.”

In the end, McMahon wants the audience to walk away with the understanding that they should just be happy with who they are. And, if they pay attention, they can also walk away with a list of movies to watch and songs to listen to. And they should remember, “It’s a piece of entertainment as much as it is a work of fiction.”