Where's Peen been?
Lyric Hammersmith, London
Was Peen keen?
*****
We can argue that this isn’t one of the
best plays ever written and it’s probably not an uncommon thought. But
Vesturport Production have put together this stunning show to tour the world
with, and have done so with courage, sheer talent and passion – all to much
deserved rapturous applause as well. It’s a fantastic tale of a heart-breaking
way to deal with the family breadwinner turning into a bug.
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| Photo: Alastair Muir |
The whole cast is pretty much faultless:
Gísli Örn Garoarsson as Gregor Samsa tells the sensational story of becoming vermin
overnight with sensitivity and perfect physicality. With the essential
aid of the brilliant set design (Börkur Jónsson), he is able to manipulate the
whole house to suit his needs. The grotesque transformation of the young
salesman in this version is different to that originally written, and much more
ambiguous. There is no reference to Gregor having turned into a bug per se;
rather the reaction from the Samsa’s makes us think he is something of an
incoherent monstrosity, as he crawls around the walls and ceilings. The lack of
communication between Gregor and the rest of his family cuts deep, and makes us
equally frustrated. Garoarsson was made for this role.
The rest of the family, in particular Greta Samsa (Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir) and Lucy Samsa (Kelly Hunter) represent the turmoil and
difficulties that this typical kind of Kafka situation can bring about. The
family is headed for very difficult financial times, and it’s far from their biggest
worry. Herr Fischer (played superbly by Jonathan McGuinness) arrives as a
potential lodger with the family, bringing hope and a barrel of laughs until
the obvious is discovered, and he doesn’t take well to the parasite.
As sadistic as it may sound, one of the
lovely things is that not everything goes right: it’s a tearjerker. It also
allows us to laugh at things that we probably wouldn’t usually laugh at and
that actually, if you ponder upon them for a mere couple of seconds, are
somewhat disturbing. It’s a time of change for the Samsa's, which comes with
the loss of a loved one. Perhaps in previous times this has been a story to
scare its audiences, but this version has a bigger picture to paint which
concerns a family falling apart with the strangest of causes: it's delivered with great poignancy. The score
underneath by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis not only glides wonderfully with the
whole thing, but also makes for one beautifully enchanting opening scene.
The Lyric Hammersmith is on fire at the
moment (not literally, metaphorically, and in a very good way), and it’s a
blessing that this emotionally arresting production has returned for a short while.
This production runs until 16 February 2013.
For more information: http://www.lyric.co.uk/whats-on/
@LyricHammer
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