PLAY BY HENRIK IBSEN

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27047, 23 May 1953, Page 2

PLAY BY HENRIK IBSEN

FIRST PRODUCTION OF “PEER GYNT”

Henrik Ibsen’s great play, “Peer Gynt, will be presented for the first “ me L, in Christchurch next week Ay the Theatre Arts Guild. Several years play was Produced in Auckland, but not on the same scale as the Theatre Arts Guild production, which has a cast of 60

‘‘Peer Gynt” will be played in modern dress, and the producer, Gregory Kane, has used a translation obtained from Charles Edouard Broussard of Toulon, who supplied the script for a previous production of Cyrano de Bergerac.” Designs for the sets and costumes were obtained from Edward Hilton, who produced “Peer Gynt” at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, through Michael Bowles, former conductor of the National Orchestra. There are five acts in “Peer Gynt,” and the settings of its 20 scenes are Norway Morocco, Egypt, and Arabia. The sets have been designed by the Christchurch artist, Colin McCahon, and his wife has been responsible for the costumes. Grieg’s music will be p ; a y e .? from recordings, but the songs will be sung by the players. Scholars from Ceylon who are studying at Canterbury University College under the Colombo Plan have assisted in the production of the play. The drum accompaniment to the Arab w? 4! C u. Wlll 2 3e jdayed by Jayananda Ratnaike, who has produced plays in Colombo, including “Lady Windermere’s Fan” by Oscar Wilde. A dental P urse from Carlon has trained Raeburn Thomson for Anitra’s dance, and * i the production are y Cin€alese and Tamil

One of the leading roles in the pronilvlT’k that r. Begriffenfeldt, is pia y ed by a Dutch actor, Jan Tabac, whose English is reported to be exS^P tional1 y food’ He has played the U ° le °i Pe ? r Gynt in Holland, and has produced plays for the Dutch SStefiS. “ me *° *"