Play: Peter Gynt

Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) at last, for Peter Gynt at the National. Modern version. I'd intended to walk there - it's doable - but in the end, sacrificed that in favour of grabbing a bite to eat. This is, after all, a long play, coming in at over three hours. I was afraid, at first, that I'd actually be late - there were a couple of buses I could get, both of which passed as I made my way to the stop! Happily, they were plentiful, and it wasn't to be long before I caught one. It turned out to be the one with few seats, so I stood at first - handily, these also have a display in the bus that shows your position on the route, and how long it should take, both to the next few stops, and to the destination. And I must say, we made good time!

I had to queue at the box office, and by the time I got over to where two of the group were waiting for another, the rest had gone in - which I swiftly did myself. Very back row of the circle, but an excellent view, I think:

So, in this shot, you get some idea how empty the Circle was - this was within a few minutes of the scheduled start time (of course, they were about five minutes late). I did consider moving down, but figured I wouldn't improve my view that much - some people with seats closer to the edge did move to be more central. What you're looking at here is the Scottish setting to which the original play, Peer Gynt by Ibsen, has been translated, with Peter's and his mother's cottage sitting in a rural setting, woods in the background. What you can see if you know what you're looking for is a door in the sky - Peter makes his entrance, literally, on a stairway from heaven!

I think nobody would argue that the staging of this is spectacular. Doors in the sky, staircases from nowhere, curtains that look like forests - later, we have holes opening in the back wall and on the stage floor, and a truly spectacular scene of a storm at sea. The National doesn't disappoint in these requirements. Even the cottage is later slid out on a rail, when no longer required!

The production is divided into three acts, separated by 15-minute intervals - for which we met on the balcony, and I was glad I'd wrapped up! In the first act, Peter returns from - apparently - having adventures. His mother is delighted to see him, then disgusted when she realises that his stories are at least half fabricated! She has news for him - while he was off gallivanting, his wealthy girlfriend got engaged to the local idiot. They're due to marry later that day - well, Peter, undaunted, invites himself along, causing absolute chaos. While he's there, though, he is unexpectedly smitten by a newcomer.. a feeling he's not used to. It's a long act, comprising the first three acts of the original. To cut a long story short, one of the most significant things to happen to him is that a creature he meets tells him that the best course of action is to find a way around problems.

So, of course, he tends to spend the rest of the play - which encompasses the rest of his life - finding a way around trouble. The second act - just like the original, but with up-to-date costumes and political references - sees him make a fortune and lose it to scoundrels, fetching up, quite unexpectedly, in north Africa. And in the third and final act, he's an old man, returning home and forced to face the consequences of his lack of determination over the years. The moral of the story seems to be that fiction might be more readily believed than fact, but that living in a world of fiction is no worthwhile life at all, as he realises what he's squandered.

I loved it. Some hated it. Some were in the middle. Someone said it was too long - and long it certainly is, but I enjoyed the process of getting through the story. I don't mind how long a story is, as long as I'm entertained along the way - which I was. I found the first act funny, with Peter chancing his arm at every opportunity. His meeting with the trolls is truly a surreal masterpiece.

The second act, where he is an entrepreneur with dodgy dealings, bristles with political references and social commentary. As one review noted, it's packed with zingers - I loved the one along the lines of "terrorism is war waged by the poor, while war is terrorism waged by the rich".

And the third act is classic storytelling, with a dark and sinister setting, a rather camp devil, and some terrific costume design for the characters representing Peter's unperformed actions - the songs unsung, tears unwept, questions unasked. The final resolution is quite simple and touching.

If you can stick with this, I think it's worth it - you'll probably know long before the end whether it's for you, though. The place actually got emptier as the evening wore on. Runs till the 8th October - and I highly recommend it. If you like a long story..

The blasted buses were diverted again on the way home - after climbing all the way up onto Waterloo Bridge, it turned out that I had to walk to Waterloo Station after all, because the bridge was closed. Mind you, that did speed up our journey, as we were missing about half the stops on my route! So, handy in the end.

Tomorrow, I had nothing booked - until Funzing sent a promotional email today, and I booked a talk that sounded interesting. The Psychology of the Extreme is also on decently close. I've used such codes as I had, so didn't get a discount - but I've booked enough upcoming to have earned one on the next booking. They don't seem to have a Meetup group dedicated to Funzing talks anymore, so it's a while since I've been to one.

On Wednesday, I'm back with London Literary Walks, for a walk to - and around - Hogarth's grave.

On Thursday, back with North London Friends for Europe, at the Donmar Warehouse. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

The first three days of next week, back with UITCS. On Monday and Wednesday, we're at LAMDA - Monday for The Ofsted Massacre.

On Tuesday of next week, we're at Trafalgar Studios - I'm finally going to see Equus, with its nudity and blinding of horses. Have to see what all the controversy is about!

On Wednesday of next week, the play is My Children! My Africa!

On Thursday of next week, our overdue social from the company I was last with - this month, we're off to the Queen's Head and Artichoke, for dinner and drinks.

And on Friday of next week, Helen is in town again for training - and we're off on the Hidden Horrors Haunted History London Ghost Walk. Which I was on before, but wouldn't mind going on again - it's good (as I can see from the review I left), and I could do with reminding, after all. Let's see how much I've forgotten.. It's also Funzing, and I got a 15% discount with the code Fun15, which can only be used once. Advertised by Best Authentic Walking Tours in London - so Funzing does still have a Meetup group for walks.. Don't believe what they say about "no refunds" though, the Funzing rule of a full refund up to 48 hours beforehand still applies.