The great Berliner Ensemble, one of the worlds most well known theatre companies, set up by the one and only Bertolt Brecht, has come for a very short run at the Lyceum Theatre with Ibsen's Peer Gynt.

Peer Gynt is a classic play which still speaks to a modern audience, following Peer as he lies, cheats and fights his way across the world fleeing from his responsibilities as a father and a husband like many 20-something's today, living in their own world, free spirited and running from any form of responsibility. Peer eventually returns to his homeland of Norway where he is greeted by death quite literally who gives him three chances to prove that his soul is worthy of not being smelted down.

Peter Zadek's production is littered with the influence by Brecht's theories. Props are kept to a minimum, the auditorium lights are kept up and nothing is hidden from the audience, although very interesting to see it is not what makes this an exceptional production. The acting does that.

Zadek has assembled a brilliant cast led magnificently by Uwe Bohm as Peer Gynt, his performance was a joy to behold as his physicality changed from the young exuberant Peer at the outset to the old shuffling Peer returning home after many wild adventures. Ibsen's work can sometimes be perceived to be longwinded full of the spoken word yet lacking in action. Not so with this production, this is eloquently spoken as the action flows from one scene and setting to the other.

I had to queue for 2 hours to get a ticket to see this production, but it was all worth it for the privilege of seeing such a fine production.